SWKOTOR: Destiny's Pawn Book 2 Dantooine
by Allronix
Summary: After their flight from Taris, the Ebon Hawk arrives on Dantooine - a seemingly peaceful world where not all is as it seems...and even the Jedi Masters have dark agendas of their own
1. Prologue

PART 2: EARTH

DANTOOINE

**Prologue**

Lower City of Taris, Five years earlier…

_She felt like she had been treated – a beast. Her fur was matted, and infested with lice. Gold eyes, dulled by weariness and brutal conditions looked around the squalid market. She was badly underfed, only emphasized by her tall stature and the uneven growth patterns of adolescence._

_Hugging her knees in the small cage, she hung her head and tried to look as unappealing to a buyer as possible. The rusted wire bit into the sores on her back. They hurt, but she wasn't sorry for earning them. She probably killed one of them, might have badly wounded another…too bad it seemed to make no real difference._

_The cage was small to stand in, and sitting was agony, considering the other things those brutes had done to try and break her spirit. She still remembered one of them as they tore her leggings to shreds, his street-speak accent jolly and laughing._

"_Just a little breaking in for ye, kitty. Want ye to be good and ready for market y' know."_

_Never mind that she already had a lover…well, used to. Tanni, another lonely outcast on this terrible human-dominated world, had been a regular at the cantina, a messenger for one of the gangs. Tanni had not been Cathar, but it hadn't mattered. The two girls were childhood friends who only grew closer as they grew older. Humans may have had strange ideas about same-sex lovers, but there wasn't the prohibition in their cultures. Three weeks earlier, she had felt Tanni's death. She did not know how or why, but she knew it even before another member of her gang came to the cantina with the sad news that her lover had been yet another casualty of the Lower City's perpetual gang wars._

_A scarred, shuffling wreck of a human man sidled up to her cage. "Well, y're quite the sight. A little skinny, but I think you could become quite the prize. Cathar females make pretty amusing pets, I've found…" His wicked face broke into a leer, emphasizing the crisscrossing layers of scars all over his ugly face. "The name's Xor, and you're mine now, kitty-cat."_

"_I have a name." Her parents learned Basic late. As a result, her own speech was thickly accented. Ganni had considered it very attractive._

_Xor laughed. "Your kind ain't worthy of that. Where t'hell is Davik? Gotta give him the credits –" Xor jerked up at the sound of shouting and swearing, looking about frantically as he escaped out the back. The girl could hear blaster shots, the clash of swords and blades and another odd sound…a low-pitched hum like that of energy focused through a generator._

_One of her captors threw open the door to this creaky shelter, limping and clutching his chest. He took two steps before another blaster shot caught him in the back and he went down for good. Running in the door were four others – a human man and woman in orange and red uniforms she would later know to be of the Republic fleet. The other two were women - a Twi'lek and a woman of a species she had never seen before. They were dressed in unfamiliar robes with the same coloring as the soldier uniforms, but distinctly different in cut and pattern.. The uniformed humans guarded the door. The robed pair made sweeping gestures with their hands and the cages flew open. Most, seeing an opportunity, fled. Others cowered in fear in the back of their cages – afraid either of the newcomers or of the prospect of freedom._

"General,"_ said the Twi'lek. _"We have not found the Mandalorian spy, but we've certainly found something else. These people looked to have quite the slaving operation going on here."

_Their leader walked in…their leader…_

_She climbed out of her cage and limped into the center of the room. She took a sharp, amazed breath. Their leader was beautiful! The girl could tell their leader was human – olive skinned and black eyed. Dressed in ivory robes trimmed in scarlet, her face covered in a half-mask, she carried one of the bizarre rods the other two robed liberators had, only hers was lit – a glowing blade of violet. The purple blade vanished, and she placed the rod back on her belt, walking forward._

"_Are…are you a goddess?" the girl asked._

_Upon getting a closer look, she could tell that the woman in the ivory robes wasn't much older than she was. "No. I'm just here to take you home. Where is your family?"_

"_I have no family." She looked down. "They are dead. I would suppose that would make me yours."_

"_Jedi do not keep slaves. What is your name?"_

"_Juhani," the girl said._

"_Channa Mae and Nala will take care of you, Juhani." She looked behind her and nodded to the two others. "Make certain she gets a hot meal and good medical care. See to the others as well. I doubt he's gone far." She patted Juhani's shoulder. "Maybe we'll meet again, and may the Force be with you…"_

_Juhani watched as the beautiful human rose and left the hovel, walking like a ghost among the squalor._

_It was the start of a dream…_

_Dantooine, Present Day…_

* * *

…It was the end of a dream.

Master Quatra crumpled to the floor, the Falleen Jedi's sapphire-bladed lightsaber dropping from her lifeless hand, and powering off uselessly.

Juhani gasped. What had she done? The moment of blinding anger and fury had passed and left her shaking and confused. She was carrying her own blade, a deep ruby red. Juhani powered off the saber and dropped to her master's side, whispering Quatra's name. Quatra did not respond, and the young Cathar tried searching her fallen master for any sign of life.

She found none.

In blind panic, Juhani ran from the training room, as fast and far as she was able in the middle of the night. She ran across the vast plains of Danootine, her lightsaber in hand. She crashed through bushes and scrambled up rocks. Her robe was stained and covered in grass and mud by the time she could run no more.

In the moonlight, the meditation grove looked twisted and angry. A perfect place for refuge, Juhani thought. A perfect place to retreat into darkness and become the beast she always had been…the beast who tried to become something better than what she was only to turn into that she could not avoid.

She collapsed in the center of the stone circle and concentrated on her self-hatred, her grief and pain…no one would come near her. No one would try to redeem her…she was already beyond such things…


	2. Force Awakening

A/N: Tho those who already read the saga? Well, I hated the formatting had at the time, and pulled a George Lucas by going back and cleaning up previous chapters. Therefore, things are slightly different here. However, the site's tendency to eat line breaks has made it very difficult to format properly. I've used horizontal lines as scene breaks, and apologize for any readability issues this causes.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Force Awakening**

Kairi woke slowly. Her body still ached, and the pounding in her head had dimmed to something tolerable. She blinked and looked at a nearby chronometer. Twelve hours? Force, she must have been exhausted. If she were honest with herself, she still was. Rolling off the cot, she went looking in the drawers. There had to be some kind of painkiller in here.

Unfortunately, the headache flared right back up when she heard voices outside her door.

"Refuge? You're kidding, right?" Carth's bootsteps clanked along the metal deck as he paced the corridor. "You saw what Malak did to Taris: there's nothing over two stories high left standing. They've...it's nothing but a pile of rubble. We've got to keep moving!"

"Even the Sith would think twice before attacking Dantooine," Bastila said, "There are many Jedi there - including several of the Order's most powerful masters. We'll be safe."

"Hate to tell you this, sister, but there is no such thing as 'safe.' Not in this universe."

Canderous argued, "We took damage, Carth. The shield generators are gone, and our main power is shot. We're breathing because of the backup, and even that's taxed. The hull is barely holding in a few places and the second gun turret was fried. The only thing that wasn't damaged is the hyperdrive. We'll at least need to make repairs. I don't like the idea of taking the _Hawk _to some Jedi planet, but we can't survive another round of Sith without fixing the ship."

Bastila's voice was even and soothing, trying to convince their skeptical pilot. "The Dantooine spaceport can take care of the repairs, and the academy is a great place of healing - physical, mental, and spiritual. We could all use that considering what we've been through."

Carth sighed and relented. "Maybe you're right. Not easy to witness the destruction of a whole planet. Mission's got to be taking it pretty hard."

"She's stronger than she appears, and will find a way to come to terms with it. We can only give her time." Bastila said gently.

"I'll head to the back," Carth said. "While T3's got the autopilot, we can at least try and make a few repairs."

"First sensible thing I've heard you say," Canderous grumbled. "I know the ship's systems and can at least keep you from electrocuting yourself."

As Carth and Canderous left for the engine room, Kairi opened the door. She was still leaning on the door frame more than she wanted, but she was at least on her feet.

"Dantooine...is it really as safe as you say?" she asked Bastila.

"Safe as anywhere, I suppose," Bastila said. "Are you all right? You've been asleep since we hit hyperspace, and you still look exhausted."

"I am exhausted," Kairi said. "I think the past few days have...caught up with me."

Bastila caught her by the shoulders. "You certainly have overspent yourself. You are going back on that cot. No arguments now, come along."

Kairi didn't feel any inclination to argue as Bastila helped her back into the cot, covering her with a blanket scavenged from the drawers.

"Nothing has gone to plan on this – nothing," Bastila said, clearly frustrated. "The _Endar Spire_ is attacked, and my Battle Meditation does so little good. The damn Vulkars overpower me, and I'm caged up in clothing fit for a joy-girl. Then, Malak slaughters the entire population of Taris…"

"Bastila, what was the mission? And why did you need me along?"

"The mission was…it was a special assignment from the Jedi Council. As for why I needed you along…well, droids and computers are fallible. We would need your talents on some of the worlds we were visiting." A worried look crossed her face. "But you truly remember nothing?"

"I recall the battle aboard the _Spire_, somewhat. It's mostly like a bad dream. I remember everything that happened since I woke up on Taris clearly. Anything before that…" She shook her head.

"Do you know your rank?"

Kairi remembered what was on her datapad. "Civilian Advisor, Class Three. I...I'm sorry, I thought you knew this already."

"I did, actually," Bastila said. "Carth told me of your memory loss and what little he was able to discern from your records. The truth was that I was studying how you responded to my questions. Your reactions help me judge you, a test to learn more about your character. You were honest, which is good. And you treat this as a serious matter, which it is."

Bastila turned away and started rummaging through the drawers, dismissing most of the vials and bottles inside as useless, illegal, or some of both.

"There's more you want to ask me," Kairi said. "You keep looking over your shoulder."

"I'm a Jedi, and far too disciplined to betray my emotions with outward physical displays," Bastila said. "But, yes…There is something I want to ask you, and I didn't want to ask it when the others are around. I did come to check on you earlier, and you were talking in your sleep. I couldn't make out very much, but what little I could concerned me. What are those dreams about?"

Kairi closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm not certain you'd believe me if I told you."

"Which is another reason I didn't necessarily want to discuss this in front of the others. I told you earlier that you're strong with the Force, and when it comes to the Force, very little can be called strange."

"I…I dreamed about you, Bastila." Kairi gripped the blanket to keep from squirming. "I keep seeing some battle over and over."

"Perhaps it was a fragment of your memories from before the _Endar Spire_, your mind attempting to compensate for the damage."

"Well, that would be the simplest explanation," Kairi said. "But why would I dream about you fighting a Dark Jedi?"

Kairi saw concern pass across Bastila's face before the mental blocks went up, rendering her unreadable again. "Dark Jedi? Really?"

"Yes…I think it might have been Revan. I don't understand, though..."

Bastila took a deep breath. "In the aftermath of our squabble with the Vulkars, perhaps you were allowed you a glimpse into one of my memories. It could be nothing."

"I was having these dreams before that. I didn't think it was anything important. Now, I'm not so sure." Kairi stared out into space through the small viewport. "When I have those dreams, I think I remember something. Seems close enough to touch, but when I wake up...Well, it's gone again. I can remember skills - the languages, how to use a sword, how to work a computer...just nothing about myself."

Bastila touched her shoulder. "If you remember anything - no matter how small, you will let me know. When I go speak to the Council, I will let them know of your...situation. Perhaps they can help you."

Kairi nodded. "I will. What can you tell me of Dantooine?"

Bastila sighed. "It seems like a lifetime since I set foot on the surface. In truth, it's only been a few months. It's a lovely planet - mostly farms and ranches, soft hills and vast grasslands. Very peaceful, Kairi. I think you will like it there."

"I just...Bastila, have I ever been there?"

"To be honest, I don't know." Bastila brushed her fingers across Kairi's forehead, and Kairi felt some of the pain ebb. Soon, she was back asleep.

* * *

The _Ebon Haw_k's engine room was small, cramped quarters for two men, especially when one of the men was Canderous. The larger man traded tools and made minor repairs to the power grid while Carth did what he could for the shield generators, though the majority of repairs would have to wait for a spaceport.

As Carth was about to spot-weld a loose coupling, Canderous broke the silence.

"Carth...you fight for the Republic, right?"

"That's right. Signed up when I was sixteen, still a kid, really. That was...well, about twenty years ago."

Canderous chuckled. "I was leading the clan's youth by sixteen. Got my first taste of battle at thirteen, like all Mandalorian lads. I've been a warrior for forty years now." Putting a sonic spanner aside, he picked up a power tester. "You no doubt fought against my people. What battles were you in? We may have faced each other in combat."

"I...I try not to think about it. The horrors of war aren't something I like to relive."

"The horrors of war? My people know only the glory of battle." He was grinning. "I'm disappointed in you, Carth. I thought a warrior like you might understand. There's got to be a little of the battle-fever within you. Otherwise, why would you be here?"

"I'm not a warrior. I'm a soldier. There's a difference," Carth explained. "Warriors attack and conquer. They prey on the defenseless. Soldiers are the ones who defend and protect the innocent - usually from warriors."

The teasing in his voice vanished. "Nice speech," Canderous said with a sneer. "I'll bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. I accept who and what I am. I don't have to justify it with words. Victory in battle is my justification."

"Justification through victory, huh? So what happens when you lose?" Carth picked up the spanner and started to put back one of the access panels. "You know, like you did when you went up against us?"

"You had five times the men, twice the ships, and the Jedi on your side, and we still managed to make you tremble in fear before we fell."

"Nice speech," retorted Carth. "Bet you tell yourself that at night so you can sleep."

"Your kind likes to hide behind pretty words and empty concepts, Republic. For my people, it is the honor and glory of battle that drives us. Through combat, we prove our worth, gain renown, and make our fortunes."

"And that's why you attacked us? Turned entire planets to glass? Hunted down and shot anything that moved?"

Canderous shrugged. "The Sith came to us with an offer: to fight in a battle that would be remembered forever. We only wanted the challenge of battle and the glory from having fought it - win or lose." He shook his head sadly. "And we lost."

"And I suppose being a strong-arm collection agent for a crime boss carries a lot of glory and honor," Carth argued, not seeing a lot of reason to be polite. Canderous was just another brute like the dozens he'd been forced to kill during the War. With luck, they'd just be able to dump him off somewhere. If they were really lucky, that drop-off point would be the closest prison.

"Crushing Davik's enemies and the pathetic gangs of Lower Taris couldn't be considered the most glorious of tasks. More like stepping on bugs. Working for him was like driving a spike through my head. Sure, I get something new in there, but I was losing something too." He turned from Carth and back to the toolbox, picking through the spare parts. "The days of combat and glory and cheating death at every turn seem to be over now. Times have changed, I suppose. The clans have been scattered, the Republic is in decline, and the Sith Empire rises to take its place. An aging warrior has to take what he can get, but when I think of the battles I've fought...the thousands I've killed...the worlds that I've burned...I weep for my past. "

"Well, pardon me if I don't share the grief."

Canderous seemed to weigh something in his head before speaking again. "What do you fight for, then?"

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

"Learn quickly; when it comes to combat, I seldom joke. No, I've never had the chance to talk to a Republic fighter. I'm curious."

"This might fly over your head, but I signed on the defend the Republic - or at least what it's supposed to stand for; justice and equality for all citizens, respect for other cultures and races, and rule by law rather than by who's got a bigger gun."

Canderous sniffed. "What you were really fighting for was the pocket lining of a handful of senators on Coruscant that didn't give a damn about what we did so long as we didn't potentially cut into their purses. At least the Sith are honest in their intent."

"Geez, and I thought I could be dense." Carth shook his head at Canderous. "The Sith must have played you Mandalorians like a cheap pipe!" When Canderous looked askance at him, Carth explained. "They con you into a suicide mission against the Republic. We're forced into beating you guys back to the Outer Rim, but you get in a couple good shots. And while we're still wounded, in comes the Sith without having to worry about you guys muscling in on what they want to grab."

A long pause followed, and Canderous's gravelly voice was heavy, almost melancholy. Shaking his head, he packed up the toolkit. "We have work to do. We will never speak of this again."

* * *

It was fifteen hours later when they arrived at Dantooine. It was breathtaking for orbit - seas of green and oceans of blue. Carth was about to press the communicator and ask permission to dock when the communicator signaled a hail.

"Welcome to Dantooine. We've been expecting you."

Carth was a little unnerved, but responded to the hail. "Yeah. This is Carth Onasi of the Republic Fleet, traveling aboard the _Ebon Hawk_. Requesting permission to land."

"Permission Granted, _Ebon Hawk._ Thank you for returning Bastila to us. You can tell her that the Council awaits her as soon as she has landed. Shall we also dispatch technicians to aid in your repairs?"

"Unreal…" Carth muttered. He pressed the communicator again. "Yes, please. Any help would be appreciated."

"Acknowledged. Transmitting docking instructions now. We welcome your arrival."

The transmission cut and Carth shot a look to Bastila, who shrugged. "Yes, they can sense our arrival. Is that really so odd?"

"You're the one who's lived on this world, not me," Carth said. "I'm taking her in."

* * *

Landing only took a few minutes, but was somewhat bumpy because of the stabilizer damage. The Enclave's small spaceport was designed for freighters bringing in supplies for the colony or the occasional visiting Jedi. As such, it had a sleepy air about it. It was dusk on this part of the planet when they landed.

No sooner had the ship powered down than Bastila was out of her seat. "The Council will no doubt want my report on what happened on Taris and…other developments. After I've met with them, I'll come back to the ship"

She vanished out the back. Carth enjoyed the silence for a few moments. He'd had precious little of it. Of course, the down side to silence is that it allowed one to think and remember…maybe a little too much. At least, he needed to contact the Fleet, brief them on what happened. He wasn't looking forward to it, but it had to get done. Watching the Sith bomb Taris was like living that nightmare all over again - the screams, the fire, the thick chemical smoke…

_"Someone get a medic over here! Damn it, I'm…I'm losing…No…please…hold on…you've got to…Oh, no…NO!"_

A hand on his shoulder startled him back to the present. He looked over his shoulder to see Kairi hovering behind his chair.

"I was going to ask if you were all right."

"I should ask the same of you. You spent most of the trip dead to the galaxy," he said.

"I'm feeling better," she said. "Seems everything just...hit me at once. How about you? You've done a fair amount of pushing yourself and I'm guessing you haven't rested. Why don't you -"

He whirled around. "I'm fine. Just back off and leave me alone."

"Why are you getting so upset?"

"Blast it! Go bother someone else for a while."

"I don't want to argue with you, Carth, really," she said, turning to leave. "A walk sounds good."

The Enclave was small, but it was well organized and equipped, lying just south of the main town among acres of parkland. The spaceport was one of many smaller buildings and workshops of the complex that were mostly open to the public. They had built around thick trees, not cut them down, and the main plaza was centered around a small artificial pond where gold and green fish darted, feeding on the algae that grew on the pond surface.

Kairi had been dawdling, stretching her cramped limbs and savoring the clean air and natural gravity. Compared with Taris's chemical-smelling water and sparse greenery, this place was almost a paradise. _It's so peaceful here. Taris was so noisy all the time, and I hadn't noticed because I hadn't anything to compare it to. _Sitting cross-legged, she gazed up at the stars beginning to appear in the sky. _But it's gone now, just like the _Spire_. Perhaps Rukil and Gendar's people made it, but there's no way to know._

She stuck her finger in the water, watching as the surface rippled and the fish darted around it. Their mission to save Bastila was a success, but what a price to pay for it. She was also truly lost. As she admitted to Carth, the only thing that she had was to concentrate on the next task they had to do, the next hurdle they had to jump. Even if the Jedi were to resume whatever mission she had been hired for, an amnesiac translator would be more liability than asset.

"What am I going to do?" she muttered aloud.

"You there! Padawan! Why are you not wearing the customary robes of our order? Do you mock the traditions of the Jedi?"

Kairi was startled. She saw a robed woman with a square jaw and a severe bun. "Pardon me," said Kairi. "You've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Kairi. I'm here with Bastila."

She cocked her head. "I've not seen you here before. I am Padawan Belaya, studying under Master Vrook. I do know of Bastila, though," Belaya said. "They say she's mastered the art of Battle Meditation, quite the feat. But it's also said she has a foolish pride in her own talents."

"I know little of the Jedi. Actually, I know very little at all, I'm afraid. I lost my memory in a battle, and Bastila was going to speak to the Council on my behalf."

"You claim you're no Padawan? This is strange - the Force is strong with you. I can feel its presence."

Kairi winced. She knew nothing about what being 'strong in the Force' meant, aside from the fact that it must have helped out immensely on Taris, but she wasn't so sure it was a good thing to have outside of an emergency situation. "Bastila mentioned something about that, but again…you know more than I do."

Now Belaya was confused. "I hope this isn't some kind of jest, because it isn't very funny."

"I'm telling you the truth," Kairi said.

"I suppose you are. Forgive me. I was harsh, and my Master often warns me to control my emotions. I've much to learn there."

"Why are you out here?" Kairi asked, eager to change the subject.

"Much the same reason you are here, I suspect. It is peaceful out here. It is good sometimes to relax and take in the natural surroundings." Belaya kept looking towards the horizon, as if expecting someone to appear. "I come out here every night now. Just as the moons begin to rise."

It was tempting to ask Belaya who she was searching the horizon for, but decided otherwise. As she realized from Carth's hostility earlier, sometimes it was not a good thing to pry.

"_There_ you are!" Bastila's voice called out. She had traded her Taris clothing for a set of traditional brown robes, and exuded a regal grace in them. "I've looked all over for you."

Kairi ran up to her. "How did the meeting with the Council go?"

"They want to see you, Kairi. We should go at once."

"An audience with the Council?" Belaya looked from Bastila to Kairi. "She claims she is no Jedi, yet I feel the Force within her, and now -."

"It's true, Belaya, and that is part of what must be addressed. Come along, Kairi."

"What is this about?" Kairi asked.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. Not here. All I ask is that you trust in the Force and the wisdom of the Council. Come, they are expecting us. I will lead you to their chambers."

As Bastila took Kairi's hand and led her into the Jedi quarter, they didn't notice Carth standing a few meters away in the bushes. He was just trying to find Kairi and apologize for what an ass he had been earlier.

_No..._an inner voice scolded him. _When Bastila came back to the ship asking for her, you saw a chance to figure out what was really going on here. _

He took the datapad out of his jacket and looked it over. It was a cover story, sure, but it had enough truth to it that Carth figured it had a chance of working. After a few moments, he walked up to Belaya.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm the pilot for Bastila's ship. I've got a list of parts we'll need to repair it, and I'd like to have her look it over before we requisition them."

For a moment, Carth wondered if she'd buy it, but Belaya seemed to have other things on her mind, which worked to his advantage. "She's going to a meeting with the Council, but I can take you to the waiting room just outside their chambers."

* * *

The Council Chambers were a rotunda in the northwest corner of the sprawling Enclave. The large doors, elaborately carved with the order's symbol, were slightly open. Like the courtyard plaza, this was built more in harmony with the environment rather than against it. Three thick trees helped hold up a domed ceiling made of translucent material that let in sunlight by day. Old-style oil lamps were lit if this room was to be used at night. The floor was made of clean, polished stone set in the packed earth.

Bastila was addressing four men - two humans, one Twi'lek, and an odd little man of no race she could name. All of them were dressed in traditional Jedi robes - making her stand out in her tan-colored armor. Hesitantly, Kairi walked into the room and followed her instincts, bowing slightly to the men.

"Ah, so you are the one who rescued Bastila on Taris. It is appropriate that you are here," The Twi'lek man said. "I am Zhar, a Master within the Jedi Order."

Her imagination must have played tricks on her, because she could almost feel them surround her, and hold her to the spot, even as they sat quietly at the long, semicircular table at the end of the room and left her a clear path to the door. Kairi's skin crawled as she tried to discern what was behind their impassive masks. She put her hands behind her back, all the better to try and appear calm. They could probably tell that she was nervous - anyone could.

"With me are Masters Vrook and Vandar." Zhar pointed to the pale human on the end and the odd little man in turn. Vandar looked at her with apparent curiosity. Vrook seemed more skeptical than anything. Zhar pointed to the dark-skinned human. "On the end is Master Dorak, the chronicler of the academy. Padawan Bastila, you already know."

Kairi glanced at Bastila. If Bastila noticed, she made no acknowledgment. "What is this about, Masters? Did Bastila tell you about my memory?"

"We've been discussing it, yes," Zhar said. "Bastila tells us you remember nothing from before the attack on the _Endar Spire_. Is that so?"

She could feel their eyes on her, and it left her feeling cold and naked. Even Bastila was looking at her in a way that made her feel rooted to the spot. "Yes."

"Nothing?" Vrook seemed rather suspicions, casting a cold glance her way. "Nothing at all?"

Kairi stood tall, despite the intimidating atmosphere. "No, Master Vrook. I had to learn my own name from a datapad. I do retain my skills, though, and while I can remember nothing from before the attack on the ship, I can remember what came after it. I am still willing to assist Bastila in her mission." _If I knew what it was._

An interesting ripple went through the room as the Masters silently communicated among themselves. The silence weighed heavily in the air.

"Speak, Kairi," Zahr said. He and Vandar seemed the more approachable ones."You no doubt have many questions. We will answer them as best we can."

Kairi played the destruction of Taris in her mind. It was easy enough to chalk up her exhaustion after their escape to the exertion of fighting through Davik's security. Even now, she could feel the echo of all those screams and all that terror. She could have dismissed those as merely products of her imagination.

She knew they weren't.

"Why did the Sith destroy Taris? Billions of people…an entire world…Was there a reason, any reason at all? It seems insane."

"Malak seeks to destroy the entire Jedi Order," Vandar said, shaking his head. "Our best defense, and perhaps our last hope, has been Bastila's skill with Battle Meditation."

Vrook elaborated, "Her abilities can swing the tides of battle, effecting entire fleets and throwing battle plans off course. It is a rare gift…and a dangerous one. Malak seeks to have Bastila for himself - or destroy her if he cannot. Taris was just in the way."

"Mistaking cruelty on that large of scale for the workings of madness," Dorak said. "Is a viewpoint that is common enough…perhaps true, to a certain extent, but only to an extent."

"A question for you, Kairi," Vandar asked. "Bastila tells me you have had visions. What can you tell us about them?"

Her heart began to race, and if she could, she would have fled. "Visions? They're just dreams," she stammered out.

"You know that is not the truth," Dorak said. "Tell us about the visions, Kairi."

Kairi closed her eyes and bit her lip before speaking again. There was still that odd pressure against her mind. Eager to give them what they wished so she could go, she explained, "It's the bridge of a strangely-designed starship. Bastila is fighting someone in dark robes and a mask."

"Did you see the face of the person in the dark robes. Do you know who he or she is?" Vrook asked.

"No, Masters. It could be Revan, but I'm not sure."

"And how does the fight end?" Dorak asked.

"There's...there's a flash of light and a searing pain. Most of the time, I wake up at that point. When I don't, I see Bastila hovering over the person in robes. Whoever they are, they seem quite dead."

"Is this dream always the same?" Vandar's large, leathery ears pricked up in almost a comedic fashion.

"Not always, Masters. Sometimes I see the figure in robes on that starship's bridge, shouting orders. Whatever went on, it wasn't going well, even though it seemed it was supposed to. Sometimes I wake up just as Bastila comes onto the bridge. Whatever it is, it's the same sequence of events. The only things that change is how much of it plays out."

"Yes," Master Dorak looked Kairi over before speaking. "I can sense you're telling the truth. We all can."

"Whoever that person is, I'm sure they're dead." Kairi said. She didn't like this talk of the Force, of visions. It only served to remind her of just how little control she had in her situation. "I've heard that the Jedi have healing abilities that conventional medicine does not. Is there any chance at all that I can recover my memory? It would not only be a great relief personally, but it would allow me to be more effective in serving Bastila in her mission. The fate of Taris alone is convincing proof of why the Sith are a danger. "

"That's one of many things we have to discuss," Vrook shot a pointed glance as Bastila.

"But it isn't why we called you in here to see us." Zhar elaborated. "Bastila tells us you are strong in the Force. That is a more urgent matter."

"Master Zhar speaks out of turn, perhaps." Vrook said sharply. "We need undeniable proof of her affinity to the Force before we even consider -!"

Kairi knew Vandar was talking to Vrook, but all seemed faraway, like she was listening from underwater. Dorak was silent, but his dark eyes were still on her like they were boring into her skull. Kairi's tongue suddenly felt too thick to ask the questions whirling in her head. The presence of the Masters seemed to close in on her. She stumbled back, her hand rubbing her aching temple.

She mouthed the words as she thought it. _Get out!_

"Kairi?" Bastila's voice.

Kairi opened her eyes. The claustrophobia she'd felt a moment earlier was gone, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I guess I've still got a bit of a headache." Clearing her throat, she addressed the Council one last time. "Masters, respectfully. I'm not comfortable talking about the Force. Gifted or not, I'd just as soon have nothing to do with it. All I want is to remember who I am, even to a small degree."

"And if that is not possible?" Vrook said. Even when asking a simple question, he seemed to ooze suspicion and irritation.

She held her ground. "Then I will still serve Bastila if she'll have me, or find other employment with the Republic. It will be disappointing, but I'll at least know I did what I could, and start a new life."

Vandar hung his head, thinking for a moment. "Yes, we should discuss this carefully. Bastila, a brief word and then we must discuss this in private. Kairi, please go."

Bastila bowed with a flourish. "As you wish. Kairi, please return to the _Ebon Hawk_."

Kairi wobbled a bit heading for the door she came though. Bastila overtook her, watching her pointedly.

"What is said and done in this room does not leave it. Do you understand?"

Kairi had no doubt as to Bastila's seriousness, and nodded. "Yes, I understand."

Bastila opened the door.

Seeing Kairi emerge from the council chambers instantly set off Carth's internal alarms. She seemed pale, and her dark eyes seemed the size of plates. She wobbled like she had one Corellian ale too many. Carth ran up to her, taking her shoulders.

"Kairi? Kairi, what's wrong? What did they say in there? What did they do in there?"

She took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I…Bastila told me not to discuss it."

"Bastila, huh?" Unless it was a life or death situation, Carth had a policy not to hit women. Bastila was starting to get him reconsidering the policy.

As if sensing his stab of anger (and he was starting to believe she really could), she stepped away and held up her hand. "I'm all right. Just…just a headache. I'm going to the ship."

He nodded and let her go, a hand on her back to guide her way. Shortly afterward, Bastila came out, looking prim as ever. Carth blocked the door, folding his arms.

"Let me pass, Carth."

"No."

"You do not tell me 'no,' Commander. Especially not here. You aren't even supposed to be here."

"Care to tell me why Kairi came out of there looking like she saw Revan's ghost?"

"Perhaps she did," Bastila said, raising an eyebrow. "But what goes on inside the Council's chambers is not your concern."

"Kairi _is _my concern, Bastila."

"Last I checked, she was under my employ, not your command."

"Not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?"

Carth sighed. "Did you talk to them about her lost memory? Can they at least help her with that?"

"They're discussing that, and it's not my place to tell you."

"Talking to you Jedi is like talking to a damn brick wall, you know that? Well, look, just because you pack lightsabers and can pull your magic tricks does not mean I automatically trust you. I've seen plenty enough with my own eyes. I trust no one."

Bastila face was calm, but her voice was stone. "For someone who supposedly trusts no one, you certainly have a lot of trust in Kairi, don't you?" She ducked behind Carth and left for the _Hawk_.

He had half a mind to go in and give that self-important Council a piece of it, protocol be damned. He may not have had a lot of experience with Jedi, but what little he had wasn't good. He stopped short of the door when he regained his head. Some fine example of Republic officer he was making, losing his cool like that. _Grow up, Onasi. Whatever it is, you won't be able to pry it from them. You'll have better luck with Bastila. It'll take a hammer and chisel to get anything out of her. Still…_

Voices. Clear, even through the door.

"Was that display necessary?" asked an even voice with a bit of a Twi'leki accent.

The second voice was clinical, academic. "You may not agree with my test, but the results are clear enough."

The third voice was gravelly, but oddly high-pitched. "The Sith have hunted us at every opportunity. Even Bastila's gift alone is a thin hope. In this darkest hour, we need every Jedi we can muster."

"How could this have happened? We had taken every precaution," grumbled a low voice that would have sounded angry under the best circumstances. "We need to get control of the situation."

"I already told you what has to be done, and I volunteer for the task."

"Zhar, you are proposing madness. It's safer juggling thermal detonators."

"I can understand your reluctance, Vrook, but since this power has manifested itself, can we safely ignore it?"

"I agree with Master Dorak and with Master Zhar. So many of our own pupils are leaving the Jedi to follow the Sith, and others fall in battle. We will need recruits to stand against Malak! With Revan dead -"

"Are you certain that Revan is truly dead?" Vrook said.

"Wait. There is someone outside the door."

Deciding he had been there long enough already, he got out of there quickly. Carth may not have understood much, but he was certain he didn't like it. What "precautions?" What "situation?" Wasn't Revan supposed to be dead? How could the Council get away with a lie like that? Or were they lying? And they were thinking of _training _Kairi? None of it added up.

_I've got a bad feeling about this – _definitely_ a bad feeling. _Some _Jedi aren't above murdering innocent kids and framing the one that managed to evade the trap. And they can be callous in entirely different ways when it comes to those they think don't make the cut. Wish I could run this past Mical. Kid knows more about Jedi than I ever will, but he's on assignment._

He darted out of the chamber as fast as he was able, trying to puzzle out what he'd overheard.

* * *

It was dark by the time he got back to the _Hawk_, the stars glittering brightly. He caught Mission sitting on one of the many wooden benches a short distance from the loading ramp as she looked off into the sky.

"Wondering which one's Taris?" Carth said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah…guess I was."

He sat next to her on the bench and looked around, recalling his star charts. Pointing to a faint-looking star in the northern part of the sky, he found it. "That's the one."

"I…I just can't believe it's gone! I mean…I grew up there…it's the only world I knew, and it's…it's just gone?" She had a questioning tone in her voice. Carth knew it too well. Telos wasn't visible in the Dantooine sky, but he once had the same disbelief, the same overwhelming incomprehension of everything and _everyone_ that he called home gone.

Carth put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Yeah."

"Bastila already took Kairi inside. I wouldn't be shocked if they're sleeping like the dead. I…I couldn't sleep if I wanted to."

Carth hung his head for a moment. "You and me, both, Mission. The Sith…they did the same thing to my world."

"They did?"

Barely past a whisper. "Yeah. Just like Taris. We didn't even get a chance to defend ourselves, it happened so fast. Not sure what I can say…"

"I don't really think there's anything you can say," Mission said. "I'll find some way to deal with it, I guess. It'll just take some time." She looked up, her eyes haunted, but still resolute. "I'm not saying I can't go on, or anything like that. It's…it's just a shock. I knew the Sith were evil, but the reality of it slaps you in the face."

Silence. Comfortable silence.

"Well, that's why we have to stop Malak, right?" Mission said. "The more time I spend dwelling on Taris, the more chance someone else's world is going to get wiped out. I guess that's what it comes down to."

"I…I suppose it does, kid," Carth said. He then realized what he'd called her. "Oh, sorry. It slipped out…"

"It's okay, Carth. I think you've earned the right to call me that every once in a while." She straightened. "Don't worry too much about me, okay? You need my help against Malak or the Sith, I'll be there for you."

"Mission? Is that you?" A Twi'lek woman in a purple, body-hugging suit approached them. She was tall and busty, head tails done up with purple and blue ribbons. Mission got off the bench and ran up to her.

"Lena? What…what are you doing here? Where's Griff?"

"I'm with the Starlight dance troupe now. We're headed to the next system and here to refuel. Your brother and I broke up a few months after we left Taris. Probably for the best. Griff can be charming, Mission, but he's bad news."

"Don't you trashing my brother, you cantina-rat. You take that back, or I'll knock you so hard your head tails will pop off!"

"Mission, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" Lena took a step back, surprised by the girl's ferocity.

"She tends to get a little emotional when it comes to her brother," Carth attempted to explain, positioning himself between them.

"I can imagine. Griff tends to be pretty frustrating. I guess that's why Mission didn't want to come with us."

Mission's jaw flopped open and it took her a moment to speak. "_I_ didn't want to come with you? Griff told me you didn't want a baby brat tagging along."

"Typical Griff." Lena threw up her hands. "That's what the Hutt-spawn told you? I wanted you to come with us, even offered to pay for your ticket. Why not? I paid for everything else when I was with that freeloader."

"You've got to be lying. Griff wouldn't…would he?"

"He had this excuse that you were holding him back. Griff blames everyone but himself for the trouble he gets himself into. Like it's our faults his idiotic schemes never pan out. After you were left on Taris, he turned that garbage on me. If he weren't trying to ditch you, Mission, then why didn't he tell you where we were going? Think about it."

"I'd like to hear Griff's side of things - there's a lot missing here," Carth said, as an attempt to cool the two off. The last thing he needed was to get in a fight between two young women.

"Griff's still on Tatooine, last I checked. He was off to 'make a fortune in the Czerka mines.' I'm just glad he's out of my life forever!"

"Griff's better without you, you table-dancing home-wrecker."

"Guess that's my cue to leave. I didn't mean to upset you, Mission, but one day you'll see I'm right about your brother. I just hope it's not too late by then."

Lena vanished into the spaceport. Carth grabbed Mission's shoulders as she tried to follow. She halted and looked up at him.

"Hey! Cool your engines, Mission."

"But -"

"No 'buts.' Cool it."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I guess. I…just ...Griff and I had a good thing going…but then _she_ talks him into leaving me on Taris so they can run off together, and…"

"Maybe your brother's not the guy you thought he was, or maybe something happened to him. If we get the chance, we'll head to Tatooine and find him, all right? But you gotta promise me you aren't going to go flying off the handle, or deal's off."

"All…all right," Mission said.

Carth patted her back. "Well, seeing as we can't sleep, maybe you're up for Pazaak. You got a deck?"

Mission got that sunny, infectious grin on her face. "Oh, I've got a deck. Prepare to get cleaned, 'old man'"


	3. The New Hope?

**The Beginning**

_The taller of the two figures was Malak, but not the Dark Lord Malak. Rather, he was a young man, blue tattoos standing out vibrantly on his shaven head. He favored light armor of blood red even then._

_The smaller figure was obviously Revan, though the heavy black robes once again concealed all features. It was midnight, and they stood in a strange looking structure built of unnaturally cold stone._

_"The Dark Side is strong in this place - I can feel its power," Malak said, pulling his fists towards his chest as though breathing it in._

"_We are here for the artifact; nothing more," Revan said._

_Approaching an ornate stone door carved with runes from a long-dead language. The square panel in its center was the lock. With a wave of the hand, the panel sunk in, the lock opening._

_"Is this wise?" Malak asked. "The ancient Jedi sealed this entrance. If we go through this door, we can never go back."_

_Again, no words from Revan, only grim resolve in the other Jedi's posture and stride. The door pulled open._

_"The Order will surely banish us," Malak said. "Are the secrets of the Star Forge truly so valuable? Can its power be worth the risk?"_

_Revan stepped through the door and into the chamber where the secret waited. A tripod on a tripod rested on the floor, the three top spires opening like a mechanical flower and the center blossoming into a pattern of gold, black, and blue…_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**The New Hope?**

Kairi half stumbled into the galley. These dreams...visions...were getting worse. She saw Carth hunched over the counter, and would have left if she had more energy. He looked her over as she came in.

"This morning's getting stranger by the minute. First Bastila comes out looking like she's seen a ghost and now you. What is going on?"

"I…I didn't sleep well, Carth." Kairi tried to go past him, but he blocked her path, taking her shoulders.

"Whoa there. You've pried information out of me, now I'm returning the favor. You're shaking, you look a iriax in a speeder's headlamps, and you're…you're not yourself, Kairi."

"Bastila…told me I shouldn't talk about it."

"She did, huh? Pardon me if I don't exactly bow to her so-called 'wisdom,'" he said. "Whatever those Jedi masters said in there last night left you good and rattled and damned if I can get her to say anything about it."

"Even if I could talk about it, I'd find it hard to describe," she admitted. "And last night, I just couldn't sleep…nightmares."

She plopped herself down at the narrow table. A few seconds later, a mug of a steaming, black beverage and a ration bar was laid in front of her. Carth took the seat next to her, with his own cup.

"I can be a jerk sometimes, but it doesn't mean I don't care. I can't pretend to know your situation, but I can do my best to watch your six, since you've been watching mine."

Kairi sniffed the mug experimentally before drinking it. The bitter beverage warmed her up and made her feel a little better. She knew she should remember the name of it, but was drawing another blank.

"Caffa," Carth explained. "The _other_ fuel that keeps the Republic running." After Kairi drained her mug, Carth got up and refilled it as she nibbled the rations. "You've been sleeping like the dead, and you still look terrible." He cut himself off and smacked his face. "Um...aw, damn. Didn't mean it like -"

"It's okay. I know how you meant it."

"Can't say as I blame you." Carth let go of her. "I…Well, I don't sleep too well myself, not any more. Anyway, Bastila ran off to the Council this morning. They've been in there for hours."

"Did she say anything else?"

"She mentioned something about you having another round with them."

"Just what I needed," Kairi said drolly.

"C'mon," he said, helping her to her feet. "I'll walk you there."

They made their way through the tree-lined avenues and sunlit corridors of the enclave, sticking out among the sea of earth-toned robes of the Jedi, blue jumpsuits of the Service Corps workers, and silent droids.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted," Carth said. "What happened to Taris..."

"I should have known better and realized you were in no shape to talk. It must have brought back some terrible memories."

"Speaking of those, anything coming back to you?"

Kairi shook her head.

"Be very glad of it, Kairi. Be glad you don't have a past to haunt you. What you can't remember, I do. Five years ago, Revan and Malak were heroes. I was proud to serve in their fleet."

"And they became Sith."

"They did. It was completely unexpected when they turned on us, invading while we were still weak from those Mandalorian pirates. No one knew what to think, least of all me. They were our heroes - in every sense. If you can't trust the best of the Jedi - well, who can you?"

That earned them cold stares from a gray-haired teacher escorting a gaggle of younglings to one of the training rooms. Carth scowled as they filed past, but Kairi relaxed in the presence of their innocence and cheer.

"I don't want to imagine how hard that must have been," Kairi said.

He huffed and Kairi felt a sharp bolt of anger. "You want hard? I never knew Revan or Malak, not personally. But there were others: good, solid men joined their cause and betrayed the Republic." His voice became bitter, and he was struggling not to yell. "Malak, Revan, the Sith...they deserve to die...all of them. The traitors deserve worse. They deserve no mercy - none."

When she didn't ask anything further, he decided to explain. "I know you'll pry it from me sooner or later. Here it goes...When I think about traitors, I see a face...I have a name. The traitor that sticks out among them was the man I respected the most - Saul Karath."

"The name...I'm sorry..."

"That son-of-a-Hutt is commanding Malak's fleet - the highest-ranking Republic admiral to go over to the Sith. He's half the reason Malak's done so well at this war." He shook his head. "He was my commanding officer, my mentor...my...my friend. Taught me everything about being a soldier, and I looked up to him."

They crossed the small creek that cut through the Enclave. Kairi stopped to breathe in the cool, clean smell. It was so different from the chemical smell of the waters on Taris. Realizing Carth was a few meters ahead, waiting for her, she caught up.

"What happened?"

"Before he left, Saul approached me. He told me the Republic was on the losing side, how I should start thinking of my survival. I know now that he was trying to recruit me into the Sith, but back then...well, I just couldn't conceive of it. Saul led the Republic to so many victories against the Mandalorians - even when things looked the worst." He pushed aside a branch crossing the path so they could travel under it. "I argued with him. He left. I never saw him again. Not only did he turn to the Sith, he gave them the codes to bypass our scanners. I woke up to Saul's fleet bombing Telos...seeing our ships on the ground wiped out before my eyes. I knew right away what happened."

Kairi reached out to touch him, to offer some comfort, but thought better of it.

Closing his eyes and leaning against a tree trunk, he sighed. "I could have stopped it, Kairi. I could have stopped it all."

"Do you believe that?"

"I…I don't know. I might have killed him, or he might have killed me. I've followed his trail since it happened, hoping for the chance..." Carth curled his right hand into a fist. "I catch up to him, and he is going to regret what he's done."

Kairi looked at the sky, then back at him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I've had enough of that. Come on, can't keep them waiting."

* * *

After Carth assured her he would have his comlink on if she needed anything, Kairi once more entered the Council's Chambers. Things were a little less choking then they were the previous night. Vrook was still wary, but the rest were paragons of the fabled Jedi serenity and neutrality. She walked across the stone, bowed slightly to them, and put her hands behind her back. All the better to conceal her sweating palms.

"Bastila has told us of a most unusual development," Vandar said. "That you and she shared a dream of Revan and Malak investigating the ancient ruins on this planet."

Dorak explained further, "The ruins they were exploring are known to us - only a few kilometers from the Enclave. We suspected them to be merely burial mounds, but perhaps they are more than expected if Revan and Malak found something there."

She shook her head in shock and disbelief. These people were _eavesdropping _on her dreams? "Masters, respectfully, I -"

"It's all right, Kairi," Zhar tried to assure her. "Bastila has described this shared dream to us in great detail."

Kairi didn't want to answer. She just wanted out of this room – out of this place. _I ask them for help, and they decide to invade my mind instead? Bad enough there's little enough in there to begin with. What gives them the right?_

Vandar began to explain. "Bastila has described the vision in great detail. We believe it to be a sign - the Force is acting through you as it does her. She says that she felt your presence within the dream, the presence she has felt within you ever since..."

"Vandar!" Vrook scolded.

"Ever since Taris," Vandar finished.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kairi protested.

"See? Dishonesty! We are taking an incalculable risk with this one!" Vrook argued, his fury controlled, but only barely so.

Kairi had had enough. "I'm not being dishonest with you. I just would like to understand what is going on! Shared dreams, talk of the Force...the only thing I want is to remember who I am, to have my life back. Can you help me or not?"

"Your memories cannot be restored to you," Vandar said. "But we believe that which destroyed them opened you to something much greater."

"And after much discussion, we have made a decision." Zhar said. "We must train you as a Jedi."

Kairi couldn't believe this. Bad enough to learn she could not be healed, but to have them conscript her when she had explicitly told them she wanted nothing to do with the Force? She struggled not to shout. "Bastila, you said they were going to help me. Instead, I'm led into a trap!"

"Calm down, Kairi. This is no trap; there just is no other way. We are trying to help you. Please, listen to them," Bastila gently pleaded.

Kairi tried to speak, but failed. It took her three attempts to finally say anything. Her heart raced with terror and panic. She hadn't felt this afraid since being trapped by the Vulkars. "But... surely, this isn't wise." She remembered the class of younglings that crossed her path earlier. "Aren't I a bit old for consideration?"

"You are right," Dorak said. "The Jedi haven't accepted adults for training since Exar Kun's War, but you are a special case."

"What is happening, Kairi," Zhar said. "Is that you have…come awake, for lack of a better term. You have a powerful gift in the Force, but it is wild and untamed. It will only grow stronger and come to endanger you unless you are taught how to use it."

"But...there are ways to control it, aren't there? How do you deal with those who fail their training? Is there some way to shut it off?" Kairi's head was spinning.

Bastila took her shoulders. "We discussed that possibility, Kairi. Yes, there are techniques that can cut someone off from the Force, drugs and exercises that can deafen one's connection. They are not without their side effects, however. With the brain damage you have already sustained, those techniques would likely be fatal."

"Even then," Vandar said gravely. "It cannot protect you from the Sith. Your strong affinity with the Force is a great responsibility... and danger. You may wish to deny what you are, but the Council cannot turn a blind eye."

"Neither will Darth Malak. Your strength is a threat to him. In time he will learn of you and the Sith will hunt you down. It is inevitable. Defeating the Sith is the only way to save yourself," Dorak admitted.

Even when he was being completely honest, Vrook's voice sounded like a chastisement. "You cannot deny what you are. These dreams are part of you. The Force is part of you, though a part you cannot yet control. But through training and discipline we can teach you to live with it."

"Masters, please. This is a..." Kairi bit back a ruder term. "This is quite a shock. May I have some time to think about all this, at least?"

Vandar stepped forward, the diminutive alien broadcasting sympathy and benign intent. "This cannot be an easy thing to hear, and some things require time to be comprehended. Please, take the rest of the day."

Kairi walked out of the room. Her eyes stung, and her stomach felt like it was twisted into knots. She didn't even think she could speak at the moment.

* * *

She went back to the ship to grab her vibroblade. While the Enclave grounds were protected by a sonic fence, advisories were posted everywhere that the local fauna was dangerous, particularly the packs of kath hounds roaming the plains. Laigreks and kinrath, both venomous, over-sized insects, were known to nest in darker areas or come out after sunset to feed. The graul, massive, shambling predators, were rare and solitary, but carnivorous and made no distinction between sentient and non-sentient prey. She would rather take her chances in a fight than have to explain a situation to the other crew that she didn't understand herself.

Fortunately, everyone must have been elsewhere, because the corridors were silent, aside from T3-M4's unobtrusive whir. Disengaging from the diagnostic he was running, the little droid glided to her, chirping an inquiry.

"No, I'm not all right, T3, but thank you for asking. I'm just here to get my sword."

"_Dortle-woo_?"

"Yes, I am aware of the advisories. That's why I'm getting it."

Another series of bell-like tones and chirps followed.

"You're right, little one. But I suppose if I take _you_, then it would be all right. I wouldn't be traveling alone in that case."

Fortunately, she didn't run into any trouble as she walked a short distance from the Enclave, climbing the hills and valleys, using the gentle stream as a guide. T3-M4 kept a silent, unobtrusive lookout for any potential dangers. Among the quiet and the trees, she breathed and started practicing swings and parries with the blade, muscle memory and the experiences of Taris guiding her hands. As she did, her mind slowed, and she danced on the edge of her mental void, but not in an unpleasant way.

Midway through a spinning thrust, her foot tangled in something. She looked down to see a still little bundle – a little doll wrapped in brown cloth. Her foot had caught in the blanket. She pulled her foot free, turning it over. It was no doll. The burned and mangled corpse of a newborn belonging to some near-human race stared up at her with blank eye sockets.

She looked up, and the whole world around her changed.

The sky became blood red. Thick, acrid smoke choked her lungs and the air filled with screams of terror and pain. The trees around her were burning like torches, the grasslands on the horizon aflame. The river and pools were stained a murky brown from mud, blood, and leaking fuel. People fled in a panic towards the spaceport, crying out names of loved ones or coughing violently. Running or standing still, it didn't matter. They only made themselves targets for the Sith snub fighters that cut the air with a cold whine as they closed in on the Enclave. There were already bodies on the ground – civilians and farmers, mostly, but one or two were dressed in Jedi robes.

"T3?"

No answer, the droid was nowhere to be found. Kairi stumbled back, racing towards the _Hawk_. Tactically, it would make sense for Carth to flee the planet without her, but she knew he was too honorable than that.

The terror from all sides assaulted her as much as the smoke did. Even Jedi Knights in the Enclave, as they lit up their sabers for a last stand, had faces etched with fear. The shots and bombs did not seem to touch her, even though they were close enough for her to feel the heat.

From the fields of fire marched innumerable Sith in their inhuman-looking armor. Even with the air assault in progress, these soldiers were here to make sure there were no prisoners and no escape. They shot into the panicked crowd, killing without discrimination or mercy.

Sensing someone behind her, Kairi turned, and barely parried the vibroblade strike coming at her. The force of it sent the blade flying from her hand and her to the ground, next to the body of an adolescent boy in Jedi robes.

Eyes stinging, throat burning, drowning in the horror surrounding her, she still had to find some way to fight. The fallen Jedi still had a lightsaber. Her hand curled around it, the lightweight metal feeling unnaturally cool in her hand.

She spring to her feet, igniting the blade just as the red-armored Sith tried to strike a killing blow. It sliced through his armor and torso like they were made of paper. Yet, he was only one, and there were dozens – hundreds. They marched on her, overwhelming her as she fought. Kairi felt the cold bite of a cortosis blade enter her back and fell...

Only to wake up tangled in some stickberry brambles, her vibroblade at the foot of a blba tree. After blinking several times and shaking her head to try and discern the reality around her, Kairi started to try and pull herself free.

After a few moments, she heard T3's whirring motor. It whistled a short query.

"Yes, T3, some help would be appreciated. Thank you."

Even with the aid of T3's cutting torch, it took several minutes and a few words unfit for polite company to free herself from the brambles and retrieve her weapon. "Damn it, I need to watch where I am going. Would suit me right if a kath hound decided I looked tasty."

Now, however, she was quite lost. Picking leaves and thorns out of her hair, she climbed the closest hill to get a better look around.

From the top of the hill, she was relieved to see she hadn't wandered more than a couple kilometers from the Enclave. What she also saw, further in the distance to the east, were a cluster of blackened stones that reminded her too much of her horrible imaginings.

"The stones. The stones from my dream," she breathed.

_Not dreams. Call them what they are - visions. This planet will burn if the Sith are not stopped, as will too many others. _

"I can't dismiss it as just an aftereffect of Taris, T3," she admitted. "I may not welcome the Force any more than I welcome this emptiness in my head, but they are things I'll have to live with."

"_Bleetle-chorp-whoop-cleep?_"

"I suppose the best analogy for it would be programming of a sort, yes. That, or a new functionality added to my system. It's nothing I've asked for or wanted, but I don't suppose droids would get much say in their hard-wiring, either."

"_Wheeple-chirp._"

She looked down at the vibroblade at her hand. It felt crude and heavy compared to her imagined lightsaber.

"Maybe there is something within me that can prevent another planet from being burned, a way to spare others the pain Carth and Mission have had to go through. If that's the case, then how selfish and cruel is it of me to reject it?"

T3-M4 did not respond. Kairi patted the droid's shiny plated head. "I guess it's time to go back, but we'll take the long route – away from the brambles."

She didn't encounter much difficulty as she walked back to the enclave, but she still needed to talk to Bastila. Hopefully, she could actually try and understand what was happening to her. And if Bastila couldn't answer it? Well, she was hoping the Masters might be a little less intimidating approached individually instead of in a group. A quick check of the ship revealed Bastila wasn't there, so maybe she ought to wait?

Kairi decided against it. If she was going to accept this unwanted...gift...then maybe she could use it to find Bastila. Sitting cross-legged on the armory floor, she took a deep breath.

Lines of blue seemed to cross and overlap over the knot of residents at the Enclave, from settlers carrying on business or enjoying the park-like atmosphere of the public quarter to the little whirlwinds of Force-energy that wove themselves around the Jedi. Kairi took a shaky breath and tried to pick one thread out of the intricate knotwork of emotions and impressions, a singular bright blue line leading to a residence hall on the far end of the enclave.

She pulled herself back up and put her blade away. She almost felt naked without it, but reminded herself that it would make the wrong impression to reach her destination armed. Time to see if it had just been her imagination.

"It's all right, T3. Stay here. I'm just going to talk with Bastila is all. Go ahead and see if there's any repair work to be done."

With a cheerful little whistle, T3 rolled down the corridor.

The residence hall was a nondescript, wood-frame building built in the rotund style that Dantooine seemed to favor. No sooner had she come into the main entrance than she was met by Master Zhar and a very annoyed Bastila.

"I thought so," Bastila said. "I felt your tug on my mind. That wasn't very welcome, and extremely rude."

"Remember Bastila," Zhar reminded her, the Twi'lek's breathy voice steady, but not quite a monotone. "That she has no training in her abilities yet."

Kairi looked down at her feet. "I apologize. I did not mean to hurt you if I did."

"It did not hurt. It was merely quite unexpected. Though, this is a sign that you are beginning to be able to use the Force consciously, and that is a concern."

"That's what I've come to discuss with you," Kairi admitted. "I won't lie and say I'm not frightened by all this. I feel so useless and confused right now that I don't know how much good I can be to anyone, especially the Jedi."

"I suggest the three of us go back to my chambers. This is not the best place to address your concerns, Kairi, and I'm sure you have many." Zhar was almost, but not quite, unreadable. Certainly, the unnerving calm was present, but Kairi felt the flickers of worry, doubt, and an almost-hidden sting of pity.

Zhar's chambers were sparse, as to be expected. A simple, thin cot jutted out from the wall. A rough-hewn desk was covered with data cards, three datapads, and stacks of flimsiplast. Next to it was a huge shelf that seemed carved into the wall stacked high with strange objects - geometric shapes of some kind of crystal that seemed lit from within, thick stacks of flimsiplast bound in cloth. Kari itched to touch them, but remembered her manners and kept her hands behind her back. The only other furniture in the room was a table and two chairs. When Zhar motioned to her to sit, she opted for the floor. After all, she was the lowest-ranked of the three here. Zhar and Bastila, however, opted to also sit cross-legged on the ground.

"You are safe to speak freely, Kairi," Zhar said.

"How was even possible for you to be in my dream, Bastila?"

"And how it you can be sure it was not you invading my dream?" she countered.

Kairi winced. It was an obvious possibility she hadn't considered.

Zhar added, "We did not retrieve that vision from your mind. Bastila was the one who told us of it. There is a powerful Force bond between the two of you, and that is why she shared the dream with you."

"Force bond?"

"A…mental link of sorts. They often form between masters and their apprentices, but it is rare for one to form so quickly or so strongly. Certainly, you have seen signs of this already, like when you used it to find her here," Zhar explained.

Bastila explained. "The link between us is a connection in the Force itself, and with the two of us being as strong with it as we are, the bond is almost physical. You aren't the only one to feel apprehensive about the situation. I suppose it must be disconcerting, all things considered. Believe me, I certainly don't find the prospect of being joined to you enjoyable in any fashion."

Kairi couldn't help but feel a little rejected by that. It was to be expected, certainly. Maybe it should even be welcomed. Still, it did sting.

"Please, forgive me," Bastila said. "I did not mean to imply that you were repulsive in any sense of the word. That we share something so personal is just not something I'm used to."

"At least you have something to be used to." Kairi tapped her fingers against the floor. "And it's not just you, Bastila. I can sense others. The longer I'm with them, the easier it is." _And sometimes, like with the Sith party or all that death on Taris, it's close to drowning._

"Kairi, your Force sensitivity manifests predominantly as empathy, and that's not quite the same thing," Bastila explained. "In our case, it's our fates that are linked. That is why you were able to see glances of my memories fighting Revan, and also why we both had that dream."

"Isn't a bit…well, convenient to dream of our enemies?"

"What else should we dream about?" Bastila said with a shrug. "Those who are sensitive to the Force often find the laws of probability bend in their favor. This is why Jedi do not believe in luck. As such, we will just have to accept such coincidences as a mere fact of life. Revan and Malak did something important here, of that I'm certain. It may simply imply that we are sensitive to that event. We dreamed about them because we were meant to, or because we needed to - no other way to look at it. With luck, we'll receive more visions, even though I'd rather not rely on such things to guide us. Still, we've so little to go on and so much hangs in the balance…"

Kairi felt as though her tongue were twice as thick as it ought to be. "Why me?" she asked. "Of all people, why did you become linked to me?"

Zhar and Bastila glanced at one another, as if they expected the other to answer. Zhar was the one who spoke. "Even we cannot understand why the Force 'chooses' some. We can only know that it does."

"If my memory can't be returned, I would at least like to know how to control this…" She bit back the word _curse_, thinking it would probably offend them. "Otherwise, I feel it will control me."

"An accurate and perceptive assessment," Zhar noted, sadness flickering through the Jedi exterior. "I wish there were an alternative as much as you, Kairi. Unfortunately, there is not."

"And it is not without its uses, Kairi. Even untrained and uncontrolled, you were able to draw upon it to help us all escape Taris, and without the Jedi, the Republic would have already lost this war a dozen times over." Bastila cocked her head, puzzled. "This is a great honor, Kairi. Do you know how many others only dream of this? Less than a hundred families a year are approached by our scouts."

"It's a very big commitment, made with _very little information_," Kairi countered, as sharply as she dared. "I don't even know what becoming a Jedi would mean, or why it is the only option open to me when it comes to abilities I don't understand, and only accept because I have to."

Zhar's lekku twitched, the first time an outward display of his discomfort. "Bastila, I would like to speak to Kairi alone. Perhaps she will not be as intimidated speaking to single person."

Bastila glanced at Kairi for a moment. "Are you…sure, Master?"

"I'm sure," Zhar said. "It will be all right."

Bastila nodded. "All right. Kairi, I will be waiting for you on the _Ebon Hawk_."

She left, and Zhar helped Kairi to her feet. "Bastila is right in one regard. Being invited to join the Order is a rare honor, but I believe you are right in being cautious about accepting it. Even my fellow Council members were in debate about it long into the night."

"I'm…flattered," she said, not really certain if she should be or not. "The first things I remember clearly are two very brave Republic soldiers risking their lives to get me off the _Spire_. One of them…" She swallowed hard. "Gave his life for us. Carth got me off the ship, and saved my life at great risk to himself. The Sith showed their heart when they destroyed all those lives on the planet for no reason other than to get at a Jedi that a common street gang had already captured – senseless, destructive, and wasteful. Which faction I side with is not a question, Master Zhar."

"Then becoming a Jedi would be an excellent way to lend your skills to the Republic. Our Order is very well known for its service to the ideals the Republic seeks to uphold."

Kairi couldn't think of words, only bowing her head. Zhar placed a hand on her back and guided her to the table.

"You are afraid," Zhar said.

"It's so much, so fast, and with nothing but a black hole in my head and these awful…visions I can't make any sense of. I came because I had another one," Kairi said quietly. "I saw the sky turn red and the fields on fire. Sith snubs were firing on anything that moved. Zhar, this place would be a target for the Sith. I can't stand by and let what I saw come to pass."

"Force visions are tricky things," Zhar reminded her. "It's best not to take them too literally, as those visions have led many a Jedi into the situation they sought to avoid."

"When we were searching for Bastila, I did not question why it was I could do all these things. I only did them because I wanted to help, and the next hurdle or the next problem was as far as I could see. While part of me would jump at the chance to have structure, I can't help but feel trapped." She crossed her arms. "I am not at all pleased with you and your colleagues rampaging in my head to start with. Not the vision – the night before that."

"You sensed that?"

"Yes. Dorak had all the subtlety of a Black Vulkar swoop racer."

Zhar pinched the bridge of his nose. "I will…speak with Dorak about that. It wasn't meant to be intrusive. Though you've little reason to trust us, I am glad you were able to come to me with this. When it was decided you were to be a Jedi, I was the one who volunteered to train you."

"Why?"

Zhar didn't say anything for a moment, as if weighing several responses in his head before speaking. "Because you are such a rare case, it was decided one of the Council would train you. Dorak already is training a Padawan. Vrook is…reluctant about this course of action, and has many good reasons, but they may cloud him in this, and Vandar already has many responsibilities."

That was true enough, Kairi could sense. Still, under that annoying Jedi wall Zhar was throwing up, she could tell it wasn't the only reason. Despite her ability with language, there weren't words to describe the things she could pick up from others. Zhar was soft blue, with an exterior like ice that was almost, but not quite strong enough to bear heavy weight. Under the ice was the shaky feeling of walking on crumbling ground, the heavy weight of something big and awkward to carry, and the smell before rainfall. He didn't mean her harm. He seemed almost as uncomfortable as she was with the task ahead.

"It's a hard life, Kairi, one of many sacrifices, but not without its rewards." He got up from his chair and pulled a footlocker from under the cot, taking out a mask. "I want to show you something. Come here and put this on."

She walked over and took the mask. It was cool to the touch, and she could see no obvious holes for her eyes. For a split second, she thought she remembered it – or something similar -- but the feeling passed as he put it on her face.

"I can't see anything!"

"That's true. Now," he handed her a strange object made of wood. It seemed to be all angles and points. "Put all those parts in the puzzle back where they belong."

Kairi was about to object, but held off. Zhar was trying to make some kind of point. She turned the wood over in her hands, taking a deep breath. _Think if it as though you're polishing T3 or trying to find the patterns in a Pazaak deck._ She felt the angles start to smooth, the pieces flow under her fingers as she worked. After a while, it almost seemed like she wasn't even touching them at all.

"Take off the mask."

Kairi took off the mask with her left hand. The puzzle wasn't even in her right hand at all. It was floating about three centimeters above her open palm, the angles smoothed away to reveal a simple-looking wood sphere. Biting her lip, she willed it to the floor. It floated to her feet, gentle as a soap bubble. "I did that?"

Zhar was smiling, and Kairi sensed that if had been anything but a Jedi, it would be an ear-to-ear grin. "Don't worry. I am confident in your ability to learn."

* * *

The first thing Zhar did was take her to the archives. It was an immense room located several stories underground. Here, they did concede to modern technology, lighting it up with just the right amount of light to be comfortable to most sentient species, with smaller nooks that could adjust the light as needed.

Floor to ceiling it was stacked – a room as large as the Lower City Cantina. Oh, and it was absolutely crammed with things to read! Flimsiplast and data spheres, datapads and data cubes… even old-fashioned books! Kairi almost wept at seeing all of it.

"The library on Dantooine is a small one compared to the one on Coruscant, and the one lost at Ossus, but it serves our needs," Zhar explained. "You will be spending a great deal of time here, I suspect."

The idea of this library being "small" boggled her mind. She was too busy marveling at the sheer amount of it all, trying to decide where to begin. "Astrogation, philosophy, mathematics, history…" Kairi couldn't help a laugh. "And languages, too!"

"I would expect you'd be attracted to those," Zhar said.

"Language tells you how a culture thinks," Kairi said, venturing to touch the spine of a holobook. "Learn it, and you learn them."

His head-tails twitched a little. "Many Jedi tend not to devote much time to language study…spoken language, at least," Zhar explained. "Techniques were developed early to deal with the vast amount of unknown languages and species."

Kairi moved to another shelf, weighted heavily with Zeltron philosophy, none of it translated. "I'd think more would be lost that way."

"You still hunger for knowledge," Zhar said. "A craving that cannot ever be satisfied."

"Should it be?" Kairi said, making a mental list of what she wanted to read and in what order.

"It is one thing to learn a lesson, but to truly comprehend it is something only accomplished with time," Zhar said firmly. "Too often, an apprentice or Padawan learns something beyond them, and that they are not prepared to handle. They end up experimenting with dangerous ideas and unleashing what they cannot control."

"In that case, shouldn't they trust their masters enough to come to them with questions about what they find?" She clasped her hands behind her back to help dodge the temptation from the reading shelves. "Not every subject in this archive is suitable for younglings." She nodded towards a flimsiplast tome of Zeltron art with three youthful beauties in an erotic embrace on its cover.

"That is not always the case, especially with those still growing into their ability. As they grow older and seek more autonomy, they tend to be…drawn to things their masters disapprove of."

Kairi bit her lip, remembering Mission's vehement objection at being called a "kid," and the times Zaalbar and Carth cautioned her against doing something…only to have her do it anyway. She was certainly strong and capable, but it was easy to see her getting in over her head with something she shouldn't toy with.

Zhar's long hands traced over the stacks, and pulled out one of them. "Speaking of Zeltrons, however, gives me an idea. They are a race of empaths, much like you. Your service record indicates you know the language. Is that still the case?"

He handed it over. Unlike most Zeltron books, this had little in the way of ornamentation and didn't even use Aurabesh characters. Kairi took it and started reading the elegant calligraphy, tracing the lines with her fingers. Like many other things she knew how to do without knowing the "why," that unsettling feeling of walking a cliff's edge crept up on her. She shook it off by reading the text aloud, first in its native language, and then in Basic.

"_It is shocking that so many other species cannot share in the pleasures we take for granted. This terrible blindness can be overwhelming to those who are cradled, birth to death, in the comfort of others. It is, then, the highest use of Zeltros's gifts to exchange suffering for pleasure, discomfort for joy…"_ Forgetting her manners, she failed to look up at Zhar, continuing to read through the text and marvel. "Their language doesn't even have a word for 'pain.' What a fascinating place it must be."

"Despite their empathy, Zeltrons have produced few Jedi. Mareel and her Padawan were the only ones known. The species is too entrenched in passion to embrace our life," Zhar said. "Start with that one. There will be many more."

* * *

"A Jedi? Kairi?" Mission asked. "Well, that's…that's great, isn't it?"

Bastila returned to the _Ebon Hawk_ with the news, calling the party into the control center in the middle of the ship that also passed for a "common room." The news wasn't taken the way she expected, either. Carth paced like a caged kath hound, shaking his head. Canderous glowered at her suspiciously. Zaalbar didn't seem to care. Mission asked the most questions. She barely knew anything about Jedi.

"It's…it's a mixed blessing, I'd suppose," Bastila said.

Despite her attempts to explain the situation to Kairi earlier, Bastila was not much better off than she was. So often, the answer with Kairi was unclear, and only seemed to muddy the further things went. How simple it had all seemed at first. As far as she or anyone else knew, Kairi Niko had been Force-blind, only able to aid Bastila as a translator and guide. This was not supposed to happen.

Ah, but the Force worked as it willed, and now she was left with a delicate situation. If Kairi could walk in her dreams, how long would it be before it would be impossible to keep a secret from her?

"I don't know what kind of tricks you and the Council are pulling," Carth said. "But something is really fishy here. I may not know a lot about you Jedi, but I know full well that your kind isn't into taking on adults. Your Order robs cradles for recruits."

"You've made your low opinion of the Jedi clear, Carth," Bastila retorted. "And yes, we typically recruit young children. Many parents give their children over willingly under the circumstances. Other times, they must be convinced of the Jedi's importance and the greater good, but we do not 'rob' the children or their parents."

"I don't get how a parent – any parent – could do that. Blows my mind."

"And I thought you'd be the first to understand the concept of 'sacrificing for the greater good,'" Bastila's voice was honey and vinegar.

Carth curled his hands into fists. "Don't get me started, Bastila."

"Well, Kairi's no kid," said Mission with a shrug. "And she's so much like what Jedi are supposed to be like; helpful, brave, kind…"

"Jedi are other things, too," Canderous grumbled. "Arrogant being what first comes to mind."

"Well, Kairi isn't that," Mission said.

"Not yet, and she had best not become it. It would be a shame to see such a fine warrior develop those faults." Canderous said. "But I've my own set of suspicions about you Jedi anyway."

"Suspicion is mutual, Mandalorian," Bastila argued. "I would have thought you'd find a ship and been gone by now to 'work' for some other petty crime boss."

"You forget, princess, that Kairi and I were the ones who took the ship. Means we have joint ownership in the spoils." He added mordantly, "We could saw the ship in half, is you insist."

"C'mon, guys. It's not important. I'm fine with Canderous staying. So's Big Z. He did come up with the plan to save our butts, after all."

Canderous did a double-take at Mission's endorsement. "Thank you. Besides, it's not like they'd hire for my kind of work at this port, anyway. So, until I do find work, I might as well stay."

Bastila couldn't hear what Carth was grumbling. It sounded like swearing, and probably was.

"Repairs and upgrades to the _Hawk_ will take several weeks. Because of Dantooine's remote location and our need to keep the enclave's location discreet, it will also take time to arrange transport for all of you."

"I've put in my report to Admiral Dodonna already," Carth said. "One of the masters…um…very short, not of a race I can name…"

"That would be Vandar."

"Anyway, he cleared it. Seems I'm waiting here until I get further orders from the Fleet."

"Not like Big Z and I have anywhere to go, either," Mission said glumly. "But I just wanna let you know that if we can be any help we can be against the Sith, then you've got both of us."

_"My life-debt is to Kairi. It is her decision as to what I do next,"_ Zaalbar said.

"Very well," Bastila said. "Consider yourselves guests of the Jedi Order. Kairi's training will begin in the morning, and arrangements will be made for the rest of you."

Carth stopped in mid-stride. "And Kairi consented to this? She knows what she's agreeing to?"

"You believe she doesn't?"

"I know the deck is stacked against her, Bastila. She has no memories of her past. She's herded into a room with a bunch of Jedi Masters and staggers out looking like she toured the nine hells. Next day, she walks into the chambers with the same group of mind-benders and agrees to become a recruit? You had better believe something's not right here."

Bastila seemed amused. "You believe she needed protection…yours, perhaps?"

Carth blinked in surprise, blushing a bit. He sighed. "I just don't like seeing people get taken advantage of, that's all. No, I'm sure Kairi can take care of herself. I…I guess I worry about her, that's all."

"Well, at least that we can agree on," Bastila said. "I will agree that there is much stacked against Kairi when it comes to this, but the Masters and she have made their decision."

Mission looked up at Carth. "We know Kairi, Carth. If there's a way to help someone, she'll do it. It doesn't matter much what the cost to her is. Besides, this could be good for her. Without a past, she's kinda adrift. At the very least, becoming a Jedi will give her some purpose."

"Guess you're right, Mission."

"Hey, you're not the only one worried for her. She's my friend, too, and Big Z's. Gotta look out for one another, y'know."

The Wookiee responded with a nod. Even T3-M4 chimed in support with a set of chirps and whistles. Bastila folded her arms and looked the party over, not certain what to make of the responses. Indeed, it would appear that Kairi had quite the ability to gather allies.

_Even still,_ Bastila thought. _I would not be so worried for her as worried for yourselves…_


	4. The Birth of Heroes

**Chapter 3**

**The Birth of Heroes**

The _Ebon Hawk_ was sequestered as Kairi began her training. Of course, with Bastila and Kairi locked away, the crew was starting to develop cabin fever. One day, out of the clear blue, Carth turned around to see Canderous, blaster cannon in hand.

"Watch where you point that thing."

Canderous laughed, a deep, hearty sound as big as he was. "Get your blasters. I'm leaving this compound, and you're invited to come with me."

Okay, the Creator of the Universe had to have a sense of humor. In what Carth would chalk up to a moment of insanity, he put on his blaster holster. "What's this about?"

Canderous shrugged. "I hear the kath hounds have been giving the settlers trouble. They grow them big here, from what I can understand. Hunting a few might be a half-decent way to spend an afternoon."

"Kath hounds, huh?" Carth shrugged. "You're inviting me out to hunt the wildlife?"

"You would rather stay here?"

"No, you just…continue to surprise me, that's all."

"I also want to see how you fight."

A chortle. "Figures. Didn't you see enough Republic soldiers fight during the war?"

"You're made of different stuff than the average Republic grunt, I'll wager," A shrug as he readjusted the heavy cannon. "Or maybe not. Either way, Mandalore had a good saying about how you don't know a man unless you've gone into battle with him."

"The instant we get out of the Jedi's earshot, you'll probably just use me for target practice."

Canderous shook his head. "The planet is full of Jedi and Republic farmers, without a way off it. Even if I stole the _Hawk_ again, I'm liable to get shot out of the sky before I reach atmosphere. Republic, don't take me for a _di'kut_. There are a lot better things to risk my life for." He looked Carth up and down. "Besides, you're armed. You've fought in and survived the War, meaning you've killed Mandalorians before, and you have just as much reason – or not - to blow my head off."

Again, it must have been the cabin fever that got Carth to agree. "Guess you do have a point. Well, it does sound like the settlers have been getting a hard time from the hounds. Sure, I'll come with you."

A broad grin. "Good. Let's get exploring."

* * *

Mission, Zaalbar, and T3-M4 also had ideas of exploring. Mission was not very used to staying still, and even with all the repairs and minor chores that had come her way, she was still feeling a little bored. And a bored adolescent with a sense of mischief was a dangerous combination - no matter the species.

_"Mission, this isn't home…why are you so eager to explore it?"_

"Stop being such a baby, Big Z. We've got tracers, we can always head back to the _Hawk_. I just wanna see what's out there. Besides, aren't you supposed to be good with exploring woods?"

_"I hear it's dangerous - big kath hounds and other wildlife."_

"Oh, yeah, and it was perfectly safe with rakghouls, Gammorreans, and Vulkars on our tails. Hey, we can handle it!"

_"Well…"_

"They didn't tell us we couldn't leave the Enclave - just not the planet. C'mon, pal. It's not the same without you."

_"Okay, Mission. Let's go."_

A series of chirps and beeps got their attention.

"You wanna come along T3? Not sure if this place's good for droids."

Another set of whistles and chirps.

"Well, okay. You're a tough little guy, and you are right. We don't know what we'll find out here. Let's go, guys. We're burning daylight."

* * *

As the two men left the enclave, they entered the pleasant courtyard the Jedi maintained around it. The scene they ran into, however, was anything but pleasant. Standing on a bench like a podium, a furious settler had gathered a small crowd with his ranting.

"Jedi! They've all got some nerve claiming to protect the settlers here. How long can they sit in their enclave safe from those Mandalorians while they prey upon us?"

The crowd was mostly approving.

"Damn straight!"

"They robbed my house last month!"

"We've got blasters!"

"Mandalorians, here?" Carth looked over his shoulder at Canderous. Canderous was stone faced.

The settler standing on the bench raised his fist. "Those animals have killed my daughter! I will settle for no less than blood for blood."

"And you call yourself her father?" Canderous said sharply. "It was your duty to protect her."

That got the crowd's attention – and not in a good way. Unfortunately for Canderous, he could not be mistaken for anything other than Mandalorian – even if he had wanted to.

"Mandalorian beast!" A woman shouted at him. "Some of us don't like fighting and killing and butchering as much as you. Jon lost his daughter, but it could have been any of us!"

"There were a dozen of them, those thugs and their Duros allies. What was I to do? They demanded our land, our livelihood, but Ilsa stood up to them…my darling Ilsa told them no, and they killed her in cold blood."

"You Republics are weak. You need to defend what you have, or someone stronger will take it from you," He gestured to Jon with contempt. "He should have been protecting her better if he wanted to keep her."

Sensing things were going to turn ugly unless he shut Canderous up, Carth got between them, and pulled Canderous aside.

"I don't give a damn how that behavior's taken among your kind or how things were done on Taris, but you're not there anymore. This is a farming world, and those people are farmers – not soldiers, not warriors."

"Republic world, Republic rules." Canderous was obviously frustrated. "Fine, Republic, you talk."

Carth approached the crowd. "Sorry, folks. He's…well; he's got a lot to learn. The name's Carth Onasi, I'm a Commander in the Republic fleet. Can you tell me what's going on here?"

"Mandalorian raiders, led by a man named Sherruk," said one farmer as he glowered at Canderous. "Ever since the Republic beat them back, small groups of them roam all over the place. This bunch arrived a year ago."

"Much of the time, they demand food, credits or equipment. But they've become greedier and more bloodthirsty," another settler explained. "It was only a matter of time before someone got killed, and last month, Jon's daughter became that 'someone.' But it's the same story all over the farms here. We've been trying to petition the Jedi about this, but they've holed up in their own little fortress, and dismiss the concerns of us 'mere mortals.'"

"They say they'll investigate, but they sit and do nothing while we die," Jon shouted. "There is no justice! None! We need to take up arms and drive them off ourselves. Then we can drive away these useless Jedi while we're at it!"

Carth noticed Canderous motioning to him, calling him out of earshot. Annoyance was clear on the Mandalorian's iron-eyed face. He dropped his voice as to not be overheard. "Pathetic. Taking scraps when they should be taking worlds."

Carth shot an accusing look over to Canderous. "I take it you know something about this."

"Unfortunately, yes," Canderous said. "When our people were defeated and Mandalore killed, the clans scattered. Many of them have turned on each other while scattered groups have turned to reliving the 'good old days' by turning pirate and raiding worlds. There's no honor in what they do…just idiots and thugs disgracing the armor."

"So, you don't approve of Sherruk's little rampage?"

"Pathetic _jhetattan_ fool; battle is to be a test of yourself with a risk of losing it all. There is no honor in what he does, nothing at stake. Not his life, not his possessions, and certainly not his clan or his world. No risk, no honor. And if a man has no honor, then his life is forfeit. If the damn Jedi won't hunt them down and shoot them - I will."

"It's gotta be raining on Tatooine, because I actually agree with you. We should…we should stop them if we can."

"It's raining on Tatooine all right," Canderous said. "Get a move on, Carth. Let's see those traitors face down a real Mandalorian and watch them quake in their boots."

Traveling to the south, the men hadn't gone far when they found their first indication of the raiders - scorch marks on the ground. Canderous knelt at the scarred grasses, picked up a bit of dirt and rubbed it between his fingers. He got up and turned to Carth.

"We're dealing with at least three different parties. One headed south, one headed west, and the third has gone northeast." Canderous adjusted his blaster canon to redistribute its weight. "They're using inferior grade fuel. Stinks like a rakghoul's armpit. And see how the grass around us is bent slightly?"

"Now, I do," Carth walked up to another patch of grass. "Looks like they're running light, too. Before their morning rounds."

Canderous cracked a smile of approval. "Come on."

* * *

The trio headed southwest. Mission was amazed at the sheer openness of the plains. She had been used to the narrow tracks and tunnels of the Lower City, the sunless Undercity, and the occasional visit to the thick spires of the Upper City. Soil beneath her feet, the wind stirring the grasses, and air free of industrial chemicals were all so strange to her.

Of course, fierce wildlife wasn't new to her. Zaalbar, T3-M4, and she had already shot down a small pack of kath hounds. Mission was glad to have taken the advice of the warning posted in the spaceport when she went to buy a map of the surrounding valley system.

Zaalbar hadn't been eager to go roaming, but once out in the open air, his reluctance vanished. It had been far too long since he had set foot on the soil or got to scratch his back against a tree's trunk. The best part was introducing Mission those pleasures. There was so much out in the natural world that she had never experienced. He took great joy in revealing things to her, and she took equal joy in the discovery. There was one large tree near the grove's edge that he talked Mission into climbing. Of course, Zaalbar's large body meant that the upper branches wouldn't support his weight and T3-M4 couldn't climb at all. Mission scrambled up them like a cub, taking in the view and delighting in the thrill of exploration.

"This is _neat_, Big Z! Wow, I never knew places like this existed!"

_"These trees are small, but this is a good place. Fresh air and thick grass, clean water, and nothing to block the sky."_

"Small? You weren't pulling my leg about living in a tree?"

_"You didn't believe me?"_

"Of course not! I…I couldn't imagine a tree big enough for you, Zaalbar. The only trees I got to see were the ones in the nobles' courtyards. I didn't think trees got bigger than that."

_"Worshyr trees are big - very big, and their branches reach towards the stars. When I was still a small cub, I'd look towards those lights and wonder…" _His voice trailed off.

Mission reached down from her high branch and patted his head. "Yeah, I'm starting to understand how hard it is to talk about home. Guess neither of us have one, huh?"

_"When I became your friend, it was almost like having a home,"_ Zaalbar said. _"So, I'm willing to forgive you being bald, short, and scrawny."_

"Bald, short, and scrawny?"

Zaalbar grinned.

* * *

Carth and Canderous headed northeast first, the larger man taking point. Canderous was surprisingly silent the entire way, blasting the pack of kath hounds that tried to attack with nary a break in his pace.

He put out an arm to halt Carth when he crested a hill. Carth saw them in the valley below. Two Duros were on guard. Two more were in the center of the camp, working on the swoop parked against the opposing cliff wall. The other two occupants of the camp were human - wearing a distinctive armor that the galaxy had learned to fear.

Circling around the camp so that he emerged on the other cliff, Carth signaled to Canderous. Canderous powered up the cannon and rained fire on them from above. The Duros on guard never knew what hit them. The other Duros tried scrambling for cover and the Mandalorians opened fire on Canderous, sending him dropping to ground and shouting angrily in his mother language as he kept up the barrage.

All the while, they hadn't seen Carth. That was part of the plan. So intent they were on Canderous and his noisy attack that they only saw the plasma grenade rolling at them when it was way too late.

BOOM!

The Mandalorians dropped and did not move. Canderous shook his head as he climbed down from his position. He pulled off the helmets from them, and blasted their uncovered heads, leaving only a smoking hole. Carth shuddered. He knew how brutal Mandalorians got, but it had been several years since the War.

"Too easy. Too damn easy," Canderous said, disgusted. "With only these farmers to raid, they've forgotten how to fight. If they'd been what I thought, there would have at least been a challenge to it."

"Challenge? Canderous, these guys don't seem to be the main party. If I'd hazard a guess, I'd say these guys were the scouts - the blaster fodder."

"Now that you mention it, Carth, I suppose you're right. We're too far from the farming roads for it to be anything else. Well, at least we got their landspeeder - among the other spoils. Come on. There are at least two more parties to deal with, and I hope they offer more of a challenge."

* * *

The noise of a speeder caught Mission's attention. She stopped and stepped off the road as a middle-aged human woman pulled up and stopped. Slumping over the wheel, she shook her head, and started to cry.

Mission put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Hey, lady…what's wrong?"

"I…I've searched everywhere and I can't find him! My companion…he…he's lost somewhere out here, and I don't know who might have taken him!" She looked up, and gasped when she saw Zaalbar.

"Don't mind Big Z. He's friendly. Anyway, your friend's lost?"

"Yes. I was working in the garden when I heard a crash inside the house. When I ran back inside, the back door was open and he was nowhere to be found!"

Mission folded her arms as she thought. "Weirdness. Do you think anyone wanted to hurt him or anything?"

The woman blushed. "Well…most people…most people don't even know about him."

_"Maybe he left on his own,"_ Zaalbar suggested.

"Leaving on his own? Good point, Zaalbar. A guy could get lost out here."

The woman seemed appalled by his suggestion. "There…there is no way he would leave me. His programming -"

"Hold on? Your friend is a droid?"

T3-M4 looked up at Mission and let off a series of scolding electronic chirps.

"No, T3, I'm not implying that. Guess it came out wrong." She looked up at the woman. "Could you tell us who you are, lady? And describe your droid?"

"My name is Elise. I live in a farm up the road. You may have seen my house - it's the blue one with starflowers in the garden. My husband…he loved that little house."

"Yeah, we passed it."

"Orrin passed away some months ago after a long illness," Elsie explained. "He was…he was a genius with droids, and he made a personal assistant droid for me. It's one of the only things he was able to leave me. Now, that he's gone, it's all I have left of him."

T3-M4 let out a long, sad whistle. Elise patted its shiny metal head. "Such a dear little one."

"If he's lost, maybe we can find him. Couldn't hurt to keep an eye out."

"Could you?" Elsie was hopeful.

"No guarantees we'll find him, but if we see him, we'll tell him you're looking."

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Now, I'll continue my search until dusk. After that, I'll have to return to the house."

* * *

They took the speeder to catch up with the next batch, parking a hill away and pursuing on foot. These raiders parked near a cliff edge, probably figuring that no one would sneak up behind them that way. Nearby was a dense thicket of scrub and stunted trees.

The same as the last configuration - two thugs in full armor, four Duros on backup. The Duros were outfitted with melee weapons, light pikes and small-caliber rifles.

"Echani weapons? Lightweight and too little firepower," Canderous said in disbelief inspecting the Duros patrol. "Decent enough if you want to be sneaky, but damn lousy if you're in _real_ combat."

Carth sniffed. "I may be risking my neck to say this. Mandalorian weaponry is great if you're looking to level everything in sight, but it isn't very precise. The Mandalorians did a lot of damage to _themselves_ by destroying things they otherwise could have salvaged."

Canderous raised a gray eyebrow. "Now you're sounding like Jedi Revan. Should I check you for a lightsaber?"

Carth scowled. "Not funny."

After watching them for a good quarter-hour, Carth and Canderous agreed that sneaky tricks would fare better here. Carth took point this time while Canderous took out the goods from the speeder's trunk. In addition to the credits, guns, and other goods they'd plundered from the raiders, they picked up five fragmentation mines. Inelegant and brutal, they were a Mandalorian's dream. Canderous set up the minefield while Carth played bait.

Hiding nearby, Carth picked up a large pebble and hurled it at the Duros sentries. The noise startled the raiders and the party's leader gestured for them to investigate.

Carth started running, and the Duros gave chase. Just like the plan! Jumping behind a large rock, he let loose with both blasters. The Duros taking point fell right into the line of fire and dropped like a bad habit. Of course, _that_ got the attention of the whole damn batch! Carth might have been a good shot, but he wasn't an idiot. He started back for the minefield.

"Incoming!" he shouted at Canderous.

One large cannon started humming. Canderous broke left and Carth broke right. The raiders charged down the center following the noise, and walked right into the mines!

The remaining Duros were blown off their feet, smoking holes in their torsos. The Mandalorians, though, were spitting mad. Blasting the rest of the mines with their rifles, they went charging into the brush. Carth double-backed to the Mandalorians' cliff-side camp. It would at least provide cover. They were on his tail and catching up quick.

Canderous ran to try and catch up with the raiders, but he knew they'd find Carth first. Hopefully "Republic" wasn't as lousy a shot as most of the cannon fodder he had to mow down in the war. He really wasn't looking forward to a two-on-one brawl, even if it was against a couple of pretenders. When he got to the camp, it was just like he feared. The pair had Carth on the cliff, backing him over the edge. Canderous raised his cannon as the rest played in slow motion…

The first one pushed Carth, the Republic man vanishing over the cliff edge. The second one turned, his rifle up, and the sight pointed square at Canderous's chest.

Canderous raised his cannon. He couldn't kill both of them without getting shot himself, but he'd go fighting! With what he was certain to be his last action, he shot the one that had sent Carth over the edge, killing him instantly. Before the other one returned fire, an arm reached over the cliff edge and hooked around the second one's legs. With a strong yank, the Mandalorian was pitched backwards, his armor sending him further off-balance, and the shot going wild. He toppled over the edge. Canderous ran over to see the man plunge into the river rapids below, vanishing from view.

He also got there in time to see Carth pull himself over the edge sporting a huge grin. Canderous's jaw dropped in amazement. "I saw you go over!"

Carth laughed. "What you saw was a good old-fashioned trick!" Motioning for Canderous to follow, Carth had him look over the edge. A small rock ledge was no more than a meter and a half down. Carth must have controlled his fall to grab it and pull himself up.

"Quite the risk, Carth. You could have missed."

"Hey, no risk, no honor, right?"

After a moment of incredulity, Canderous slumped against the now-abandoned metal crate, laughing so hard his sides ached. He cracked open an eye to see Carth was sprawled on the ground, cracking up.

Oh, yes. Despite the sad fact he was a Republic man, Canderous decided he could like Carth.

"_Mandokarla, _Carth._ Mandokarla."_

* * *

"Wow! Come over here, guys!" Mission gestured over to Zaalbar and T3-M4 as she clambered down a narrow gap between two ledges. Ever the explorer, she wanted to get a closer look at the steep waterfall at the far edge of the valley.

Zaalbar jumped in behind her, but the little droid had a bit of a problem following. He wasn't built for climbing. He had to go around to a lower part of the cliff's side to get down near the falls.

Mission grinned as she saw the cascade of water. "It's gotta be as big as a skyscraper! It…it's incredible."

T3-M4 chirped in agreement. Then, it went silent for a few moments and excitedly started hooting - turning on its forward lamp and speeding ahead, vanishing behind the falls. Zaalbar chased after the droid and Mission brought up the rear.

What they saw rendered them both unable to breathe for a long moment. The cave behind the falls wasn't dark at all! Rather, formations of brightly colored crystals seemed to glow with their own internal light. The crystals were in vibrant hues of all colors - gold and reds, blues and greens. One cluster was a purple that made fine amethyst look sickly by comparison.

Zaalbar let out a cry of amazement.

"I'm with you there!" Mission walked over to one of the blue formations and knelt at the base, picking up a small crystal that had snapped off the main formation and holding it up, turning it over slowly. "Ever see anything like it?"

Zaalbar shook his head.

"Come on, T3 can't be too far behind."

The cave wasn't a maze of passages, as they'd feared, rather a main tunnel and several forks that all led back to the same place, a massive chamber that resembled a giant geode with all the crystal formations. In the reflection of them, they saw movement .

"T3?"

Instead, what dropped from above were kinrath - huge arachnids. Three of them blocked any path they had of escape. Dropping into a pattern they'd long developed battling rakghouls and Vulkars, they stood back to back, Zaalbar raising his bowcaster, and Mission putting a blaster in her left hand and her vibroblade in the right.

Weaving between the kinrath's legs, Mission was able to roll under it, and thrust her vibroblade into its soft abdomen. Green ichors seeped from the wound and she rolled out from under it as it went down. Zaalbar's bowcaster vaporized another kinrath's forelegs, but the result was messier, the green fluid spattering onto his fur. The third went down by team effort. Working with a smoothness that almost seemed telepathic, Zaalbar scrambled up a crystal formation and Mission tossed her vibroblade to him. Catching it, he leaped onto the back of the last kinrath and plunged the blade into it several times. As it crashed, he jumped off. Handing the blade back to Mission, they took a moment to admire their handiwork.

"We still make a great team, Zaalbar!"

He growled an affirmative, and picked up a handful of shards that had snapped off during the brawl, putting them in one of the pouches on his bandolier.

"Yeah, those crystals are really pretty. I wonder if Carth or Bastila know what they could be. So where could…"

A series of whoops led them towards T3-M4. The utility droid was conversing in binary with a spindly-looking, human-shaped droid that stood at the cave edge. Seeing Mission and Zaalbar, he addressed them in Basic.

"Greetings, sentient lifeforms. I am C8-42."

"I'm Mission. The big guy behind me is Zaalbar. Think T3 already introduced himself. What are you doing in this cave?"

C8-42 looked almost sad…as sad as droids could appear. "I had come here seeking the kath hounds or the kinrath. I wanted to escape my mistress."

"Escape? Why? Was she bad to you?"

"No, I'm afraid. In fact, if anything, she was far too indulgent of me."

"Then, I don't get it," Mission said.

"Well…well, you see, I am the personal assistance droid of Missus Elise Montagne, a widow who lives nearby."

"Elsie? Hey, she was looking for you! Was upset pretty bad by you being gone."

"Again, Miss Mission, that would appear to be the problem. I was built by her husband, and since his death, she has been developing an unhealthy attachment to me. At first, it was nothing, but then her attentions started getting more and more…unwholesome."

"Unwholesome?" Mission gulped. "You aren't meaning…I know my brain's pretty filthy…but it…"

"I am afraid so. Such service to her was not…was not part of my protocol."

Mission let out a low whistle. "I'll bet it wasn't. So, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, Miss Mission. I would like you to terminate me."

"Terminate? As in destroy you?"

"If I were not around, she would grieve, I know. But she would also learn to mourn her husband, and perhaps seek out people - living people."

Mission turned around. "Zaalbar?"

_"Perhaps it's best we honor his request."_

"T3?"

The droid let out a mournful series of notes, hanging its metal head.

Mission wasn't entirely convinced. "Well, maybe we could go with you back to Elsie, and talk to her. Maybe you don't have to be destroyed."

C8-42 hung his metal head. "I would only return to more of the same."

Mission thought about it some more. "Okay, C8. Let's try this. We go back there, and you tell Elise why you ran away. Otherwise, I don't think she'll understand how unhappy you are."

"Then I doubt she could ever let me out of her sight again, and I would be trapped. I do not wish it, Miss Mission."

_"I have an idea, Mission…"_

"What is it, Big Z?"

_"I know a bit about droids. T3 and I can rig up an ion switch. He will be able to destroy himself that way if he chooses to."_

Mission nodded. "Okay, an ion switch sounds like a good compromise. That way, if Elsie can't pull the plug, C8 can. Does that sound like a good idea?"

"A reasonable compromise, yes. I will talk you through accessing the necessary systems…"

* * *

Night had fallen by the time they headed back to the enclave, and their spirits were still giddy from the two victorious battles that day.

A shot from a blaster cannon rang out from seemingly nowhere, striking the nose of their speeder. Carth swore as he tried to steer it, but it swerved out of control and glanced off a rock, spinning out to a dead stop.

"What the…?" Carth got his blasters, and Canderous pulled out the cannon. They jumped out of the landspeeder and ducked beside it for cover. Whoever shot at them was still close.

The whine of guns filled their ears. Two laser sights fixed on their chests, and they could see many humanoid forms in the shadows around them.

Surrounded. Damn.

"Sherruk, we've found them. The meddlers. We will bring them back to the camp."

* * *

Mission had mentally rehearsed what she was going to say as they trudged back from the crystal cave to the farm road. Night had fallen, and that meant there was a good chance Elise was back at her home. Sure enough, the lights were on and she hovered in the window. Zaalbar's silence wasn't anything unusual, though, especially when he was thinking. The droids brought up the rear.

She trudged up to the door and knocked. The door slid partway open and Elsie peered out. "There you three are! Still out at this hour? Well…." Her voice caught. "C8?" She flew out the door and threw her arms around the droid's metal body. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Uh…"

"It's so great to have him back! I am going to take you inside right now and celebrate…I will oil you, and hug you, and care for you and make sure you never leave my sight again!" Elsie finished the statement by planting a wet kiss on the sensor.

Mission, after wincing, grabbed Elsie by the arm and pulled her away. "Hey! That's…that's…"

"You look!" Elise was scowling.

"Hey, if it makes you happy and everyone involved is fine with it, it's not my business. I'm from Lower Taris, so I've seen all sorts of weird things people get into. But when someone's getting hurt by it, even if it's a droid, turning the other way isn't right."

"I…I'm not hurting you, am I, C8?"

"Mistress, I…I…"

"Tell her why you were in the cave, C8. Tell her why you had to go!"

"Mistress, I was trying to destroy myself. These three convinced me to come back and try to make you understand. I see now that it cannot be accomplished."

C8-42 ran down the stairs and out into the middle of the yard. Zaalbar used his large body as a wall, preventing Elsie from following. As soon as he had run a few meters ahead, there was a flash of bright purple as C8-42 triggered the kill switch.

Elsie screamed and Zaalbar stepped aside. She flew down the stairs and out into the yard, dropping by the side of the now-terminated droid.

"Destroy yourself?" Elsie was shocked. "But…but why? I care for…I…I love him."

Blushing, Mission had to ask the question. "Uh…Mrs. Montagne, did you…Well, did you try to use him as a joy-boy?"

Elsie's eyes grew wide and Mission braced for the woman to come unglued. Of all the times for her to resort to gutter terms…When the expected smack didn't come, she cracked open an eye to see Elsie seemingly frozen to the spot, the human woman a shade of red Mission hadn't believed possible.

"You…you didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"Uh, no. But…Well, is that the truth?"

"Well…Uh….Well…Oh…dear…"

"Ma'am, C8 wanted you to go on with your life, meet people. And using anyone as a joy…well, I know I'd rather be dead than a joy-girl, even a well-kept one. That's why I couldn't let C8 be one for you. I'm…I'm sorry, Mrs. Montagne, but C8's gone now."

"My droid…destroyed? He…he can't be. There was no programming for him to do it." She turned around, realizing the implications. "Out. All of you - get out of here!"

Mission, Zaalbar, and T3 turned around and raced back down the main road towards the spaceport, not looking back.

* * *

Carth and Canderous were quickly relieved of their weapons, had their hands bound in front of them, and were herded into the main camp. It was hidden among a maze of stones and ruins in the east part of the valley, easily concealed by being far away from anywhere casual explorers would visit.

The ruins were ominous, crumbling structures, inscribed with arcane characters and bizarre patterns. This was a twisted and evil place, a place where the chill seeped into a man's bones during high summer. Much of it was little more than an archway or stone set in the ground and half-buried. The base itself was in the crumbling structure of what might have been a palace. Small tents lined the perimeter. Lit with torches, open to the stars, Sherruk stood in the semicircular "room's" center. There were grisly reminders of what awaited them. Two pikes guarding the entrance to the leader's tent were topped with severed heads, and lightsabers had been lashed to them.

Canderous and Carth had killed four of his warriors, but Sherruk obviously rotated his scouts, because there were six more here, wearing garments cut for easy battle as they repaired weapons and armor. The guns were put away, but all of the Mandalorians carried vibroblades. A dozen Duros did the more menial tasks like cooking and cleaning.

Sherruk himself was roughly the same size as Canderous, and maybe a decade younger. He wore _bes'kar_ armor of blood red, inspecting them both with haughty contempt. "Two Jedi investigating the ruins found me, and didn't live very long after it," he boasted. "I'll add a couple more pikes in the morning for your heads."

Canderous nodded to Carth. "Let my companion live. He's a Republic officer. Trouble with the Republic isn't what you want, and they'll pay you a small fortune in ransom for him. You and I can settle this with blades or blasters like honest men."

"Blades or blasters?" Sherruk seemed amused. "You're the one tied up and surrounded." Sherruk said. Looking away, he signaled to his men.

Two of the Duros yanked Carth away from Canderous's side, pulling him far from reach. Two more of the Duros brought out a bloodstained block of stone and heavily dropped it before Sherruk.

Carth struggled against the ropes on his wrists, his skin rubbed raw and his hands becoming covered with blood. It hurt like crazy, and he was definitely going to need bandages after this, but it was doing what it needed to do. Sweat and blood made his hands and wrists slippery, and the bonds easier to twist…Gritting his teeth against the pain, he finally got a hold of one of the ends, and started to work the knot loose.

Two of the men got behind Canderous, trying to force him to his knees and position his head on the chopping block. Canderous struggled against them. "We have bested your men fairly," Canderous argued. "And you would give us a death fit for cattle?"

The raider laughed. "Codes and honor? Those are for Jedi. Like Jedi, they are dying to make room for new ways that don't hold to archaic foolishness. What are you anyway?"

Surrounded, outgunned, and without a damn thing to lose. Time to pull out the last card in the deck. _"You are a coward and a shame to your clan. Your honor is dead, and so you will be as well! Sherruk of Taegras, I am Canderous of Ordo and I challenge you to single combat!"_

The Mandalorians in the crowd gasped and backed up. Their leader turned around slowly.

"What did you say to me?"

"If you earned that armor, you know damn well what I just said." Canderous spat on the ground before him. "Do you accept, or do you forfeit your life?"

Silence. Dead silence. Sherruk's men were disorganized, talking among themselves, and making room for the duel. The red-armored bandit called to his men, "He's bluffing. Kill him!"

No one made a move. It was one thing to kill a common, _dar'Manda_ mercenary who forgot his heritage for the sake of Republic credits. It was entirely a different matter when that mercenary did not turn his back on being _Mando'ad, _and demanded the rights of such_._

Having twisted his hands out of the knots, wrapping the ropes around his bloodied fingers, Carth used the distraction to his advantage, finding a discarded vibrosword and kicking it towards Canderous.

The duel was on! As the tension broke, some tried to intervene on behalf of their leader while others stopped them. Many of the Duros scattered, unsure what to make of the sudden rebellion in the camp.

Rolling out of the way of Sherruk's slash, Canderous saw the blade Carth had sent clattering near him. Wedging it between his wrists, the sharp blade snapped the ropes as Sherruk came in for another pass. He'd show that d_ar'Manda_ his place in the ground!

The clang of blades, the taste of blood…oh, how he missed it! Sherruk started to fall back, running away. Canderous gave chase. This damn coward called himself a Mandalorian? Running from honorable combat? Pathetic embarrassment. He'd have Sherruk's head!

Carth's hands were too slippery to hold a melee weapon properly, but that didn't stop him from kicking open the nearest footlocker. Three fragmentation grenades and a couple fuel cells. He grinned wickedly. At least he could still throw! As some of Sherruk's supporters came for him, he picked up a grenade and faked past their lines, rushing past to the other side as their momentum carried them forward. Pulling the pin, he threw the grenade and let it sail past the line, continuing to run away.

The chain reaction took care of the rest. The series of explosions was deafening, and Carth hit the deck. Great Stars! Screams, blood, maybe a few body parts…and, damn! He was glad to have his skin intact!

Embedded in the side of the hill was a series of stones that formed the path to a door. Sherruk was making his stand there.

_"You are not Canderous of Ordo…You stood at Malachor. A Mandalorian would rather die than…"_

Canderous raised the sword. _"You call yourself a Mandalorian? What of honor? Of challenge and battle? That is who we are - what we are! Without honor, a man is nothing."_

_"I take what I want, when I want and from who I want. These people cannot defend what they have, so I take it!"_

_"The Republic man and I defeated four of yours in fair battle. And you do not accord us the respect of warriors. You do not seek challenge, preferring easy prey, and now you flee when a challenge is made. Even if the Republic man leaves your followers standing, Sherruk Taegras, you are dead to them."_

A clash of blades and blood on the grass, the two men slashed away, striking and weaving. But Canderous was the far better fighter, and Sherruk knew it. Canderous's blade found the small weaknesses of the armor like a Basilisk war droid found a target, striking swiftly and brutally. As Sherruk was still reeling from one blow, Canderous swung the blade and sliced through the raider's neck.

The earth was stained crimson, blood gushing from the stump of the neck as the head rolled to hit one of the ancient standing stones. With a groan, Canderous dropped to his knees, swearing. He had an implant to heal wounds, but Sherruk had struck true in several regards. He saw a figure in the moonlight at the top of the hill.

"Canderous?"

He looked up. The Republic man had taken plenty of wounds himself, but was still standing. "_Su'cuy_, Carth?"

Carth half-stumbled down the hill. "Yeah, I'm still alive." Carth shook his head. "That wound in your side looks nasty. I'm getting you back to the _Hawk_."

"I'm all right."

Carth then surprised him again. _"Shut up and let me help!"_

"Your accent is horrible, Republic, but…" He winced. "I…I would appreciate it."

* * *

By dawn the next morning, the Enclave was in an uproar. The body of Sherruk had been found near the ruins, and his surviving followers had marched to the Enclave, heads bowed. They told tales of a great Mandalorian warrior and a resourceful Republic man who had defeated their camps.

Of course, the Jedi students buzzed with the news. Bastila and Kairi knew who fit the description. Sitting in the "garage" aboard the _Hawk_, one of the Jedi healers was inspecting Canderous. Carth was also nursing a black eye and plenty of scrapes and scratches of his own.

"You dropped from orbit riding a droid?" Carth was amazed. "Whoa. Must have been something!"

Canderous's iron eyes were lit up, a wide smile across his face. "And with barely thirty meters to spare, I twisted and skimmed the surface, firing at the giant beam generators that were in my path. The explosion from that sent shockwaves that leveled the entire complex around it. It was the moment of my life."

"That must have been some fight," said Carth. "But I'll bet you've got plenty of war stories."

"You want another story, eh? You want to hear about another world getting wasted? Heh. I knew you were the type."

"Hey, you want to hear a war story, let me fill you in on one. Ever hear of Javin's Cluster…?"

Kairi looked at them, not certain what to say. Bastila took a more direct approach, loudly clearing her throat.

"Oh, uh…Hi, Kairi. Hi, Bastila..." Carth looked embarrassed.

"Did you lose your minds?" Kairi said. "A dozen raiders, two dozen Duros…You both could have been killed!"

"Well…" Carth tried to stammer out an answer, but fell short. Canderous nodded to the healer, who merely shook her head and unobtrusively left.

"I do not expect you ladies…you Jedi…to understand," Canderous said. "We left to go hunting, to understand each other better. We heard about the raiders, heard the Jedi were doing nothing against them, and took it upon ourselves."

Kairi shook her head. "So, going out and risking your lives was little more than an exercise in male bonding?"

"And protecting the farmers, Kairi. Let's not forget that," Carth said. "Come on, you'd be all for it."

Bastila rolled her eyes.

"I'm just grateful that you are both alive and able to talk about it," Kairi said. "The galaxy is too short of honorable men."

Canderous cocked his head. "You consider us honorable?"

Putting her hands behind her back, she nodded. "Very different definitions of honor, but honor regardless."

Bastila's eyes narrowed as she looked at Kairi. "I think we've tarried here long enough, Apprentice. Come, I think Dorak wished to speak to you this afternoon…"

The women also left. Canderous shook his head as soon as they were out of earshot. "Damn the Jedi anyway."

"Why?"

"What a waste of two perfectly good women." Canderous said, shaking his head. "Davik had box seats to the swoop race, and it was one of the dullest things I'd ever seen – until Brejik managed to shoot his mouth off one too many times. Too bad the Sith had to interrupt things just as they were getting good."

"Of course," Carth grumbled. "Talk about a one-track mind."

"When Bastila picked up that blade, I'd never seen anything like it. She's beautiful! Don't tell me you haven't noticed. The galaxy played a cruel joke on men by hiding that figure under those awful robes. Just imagine what she'd look like in proper _bes'kar_!"

"Whoa…run that one by me again."

"Well, Kairi's fair enough, but she's too skinny and small. Never understood what it was about Twi'lek dancers, either. A woman ought to fill your hands…" he held out his hands as if to demonstrate. "They need to have a chest and hips to hold onto. Bastila could fill a man's hands nicely, I think."

Carth blinked twice. _Make that a two-track mind. _"I can't believe you're talking about this."

"Hah! Well, Kairi may not be my type, but I suppose she's attractive to you, being as she is your woman."

Carth scowled. "Well, I'm in agreement with most of that, Canderous. But one thing - she's not 'my woman' - not in the way you're thinking of."

"Really? Well, you aren't blind or dead. You _dosh'kar'tay?" _When Carth didn't answer, Canderous struggled for the Basic translation. "Same-loving…Into your own sex."

"What? No, no. I'm into women, thanks." Carth looked towards the loading ramp, and suddenly felt cold. "I'd lie if I said I didn't care for Kairi, but with her becoming a Jedi…"

"Those Jedi aren't going to help her. You know it and I know it. And as long as they can keep her busy, she won't know it. Besides, did you notice how she fights?"

"Not so good with a blaster, but put a sword in her hand…"

Canderous rose from the bench. "She wielded a vibroblade as Jedi wield their energy swords. Those Jedi are not teaching her the way of a blade, Carth. The Jedi way of fighting was what she knew already."

The larger man vanished into the corridors of the _Hawk_. Carth felt a chill…another part of the puzzle to Kairi, maybe? If so, it was another piece that brought more questions than any further clues.


	5. The Way of the Jedi

**Chapter 4**

**The Way of the Jedi…**

_Jedi Master Zhar Lestin to Jedi Apprentice Kairi Niko._

_"The path you've chosen to walk it difficult. Intensive training will prepare you physically for the demands of the Order. Meditation will teach you to channel the power of the Force. To understand the way of the Jedi, you must open your mind to knowledge. See wisdom in the teachings of the great Masters of our Order._

_A Jedi is never alone. Others in the Order will always stand by you. You and Bastila share a special bond. Do not be afraid to turn to her when you need help during your training._

_The way of a Jedi is difficult. It requires great discipline. Yet, though you are a mere apprentice, your potential is unlimited and your progress amazing. In all my years, I have never seen one who mastered the initial training so quickly. You've done in weeks what many cannot accomplish in years._

_In the traditions of our order, as handed down from master to pupil for a thousand generations, you must successfully complete these tests before you earn you place among the Jedi. These tests will see if you have mastered the training you have been given - mental and physical. Upon completing these tests, you will pass from apprentice to Padawan, and join fully in the ranks of the Jedi."_

_There is no Emotion: There is Peace._

_There is no Ignorance: There is Knowledge._

_There is no Passion: There is Serenity._

_There is no Chaos: There is Harmony_

_There is no Death: there is the Force._

* * *

Kairi lost track of how much time she had spent there. It was long enough to notice the days get longer and the weather hotter, having arrived during the local mid-spring. Now, the trees had flowered and the flowers given way to unripe fruit. Her initial misgivings and reluctance about being conscripted into the Jedi vanished as her days were filled with lessons and training; sparring, drills, exercises...and _books!_ The archives contained mountains of flimsiplast and datapads, covering everything from esoteric greeting rituals to astrogation and history. There wasn't a single uninteresting subject to be found, and _so much of it_. On Taris, there were no books to read or the luxury to enjoy them. Dorak seemed to delight in loading her up with stacks of reading material – only to be shocked when she would come in later, return the material, answer his questions about it, and ask for more.

The enclave residents were certainly curious about this over-age recruit that had been enlisted, but she was kept isolated for the most part, interacting mostly with the Masters unless Bastila came around to impart some lesson that needed more direct demonstration. Zhar explained it as the fact that she was no youngling, so placing her in the very basic classes with them would not be appropriate. Her chosen master was approachable, and forthright with most answers. If he had no answer, he referred her to Vandar or one of the other masters. Only Vrook kept his distance, quick with a harsh word or brusque reminder of some aspect of training she should focus on.

It couldn't solve the hole in her head, but it could at least widen the cliff's edge and make it tolerable. She no longer felt adrift, a person with no place in the universe. Shaped and polished by Zhar's teachings like a fine crystal, the living Force seemed to sing through her, its presence like an old friend. Being a Jedi apprentice was the closest Kairi Niko would ever know to contentment.

Today, she was out in the courtyard. She'd finished the reading Dorak approved, and was waiting for Zhar to get back from a meeting with the other Council members.

One knot of about five or six younglings tossed a ball around. The one who caught it would have to dodge his fellows until one of them caught it, and then became the one chased until the next one was able to seize the ball. Sometimes, she could sense one of the younglings making a crude, but effective attempt to enhance their speed or telekenetically pull the ball from their playmate.

Another three were sitting together, the eldest of them holding a cup in her hand. Five-sense, she gathered. It was an old game that practiced use of Force sight and mental blocking. The one with the cup hid a number of colored stones beneath it, and the others would have to use their second sight to discern the number and color of stones. A variant of it had a pair of senders trying to send images and thoughts to one another. Zhar had insisted Bastila try to teach her the game as part of training, but Bastila was embarrassed by the idea of playing a child's game, even if it had a valid use.

She had wondered about why there were younglings at the Enclave, and asked Deesra, Dorak's Padawan. Deesra was a tall, slightly-built, green Twi'lek who was as much a fixture of the library as the shelves and lighting. Deesra had shrugged at her question. _"I was a slave boy on Ryloth when Dorak found me. Not older than eight, I think. Many younglings come from the same – broken homes, slavery, orphanages. Jedi are not allowed children of our own, so the foundlings of the galaxy must suffice."_

Perhaps when she had finished whatever training the Order had for her, and her tasks for Bastila were finished, they would allow her to become a teacher. Dorak had already said that she was a "natural Consular," referring to a class of Jedi that were sent out to diplomatic missions, historical study, and made up the bulk of minders for the Order's foundlings.

The presence of younglings was soothing indeed; they had fewer masks and simpler emotions than adults. The very young also had plainer concerns. A child wanted a full belly, a warm bed, a safe home, and to be cared for by those around them. They could be petty, spiteful, and most anything else, but there wasn't as much attempt to hide it or think up elaborate justifications for it. As adult Jedi, they would hold the galaxy on their shoulders, so she would not begrudge their simpler times. She only wished she could remember what being a child was like.

A flash of panicked worry broke her reverie as a child of about six or seven raced across the stone tiles of the courtyard. "Cei? Cei? Where are you? Why aren't you here?"

Kairi got to her feet and crossed to the girl, taking her shoulders. "Take a breath. Where did you last see him?"

The little girl shuffled on the balls of her feet. Worry rolled off her like a low-pitched hum, apprehension like the smell of smoke. "Cei...He's Duros and littler than me. We were playing at the edge of the Enclave fence and got lost. I found my way back, but he's still out there." The girl pointed over the enclave's eastern border. A grid of sonic generators kept most of the nastier fauna. It was easy enough for a sentient to cross it, however.

"If Zhar or anyone else comes by, tell them I went after Cei. He should be easy enough to find."

Kairi was able to get to the perimeter quickly enough. Snapped twigs, broken grass and the occasional muddy footprint told her that Cei and his friend were playing a little too close to the sonic fence for her liking. Then, the two pairs of footprints split apart from one another, and the smaller set crossed the safe threshold of the generators.

_If the child was fool enough to disobey, then the child should suffer the natural consequences..._That cold impulse was almost an alien presence in her skull, sounding vaguely like a jaded old woman. Kairi had decided that she didn't like it much. Younglings would test boundaries to prove themselves, and anyone could become overwhelmed. She dismissed the icy suggestion and set back to work.

Since she was on her way to sparring practice, she had her training blade, a light, but dull sword with a blade the length of her forearm. It would have to do. The plains were immense, and the landscape had changed somewhat since she had been out here last. However was she going to find a single...?

As soon as she thought of it, the answer came. Taking a deep breath, she stretched out her arm. _Feel, don't think..._

It was odd. Zhar had told her that the Force manifested mostly as empathy in her case, but she hadn't expected it to stretch like this. The grid of life and so many creatures, from small rodents under the earth to the brith flying overhead on its leathery wings, became a thick mass of tangles and lines. Everything from stone to sky was knotted together, pulling on one another.

Another breath sucked in, and she turned slightly to the north. She perceived it as bright flash of blue light, only a half kilometer outside the enclave fence. There! An echo of rancid fear hit her and Kairi started to run.

"Oh kriff!" It was a rare thing to resort to curses. If one knew dozens of languages, one usually had a better alternative. Still, curses existed for times like these. The little Duros boy had climbed up a massive tree and held on for dear life as a graul shook the trunk. Graul were Dantooine's apex predators – the size and bipedal structure of a juvenile rancor with a maw of jagged teeth and a thick, bluish hide. The only good thing about them was their scarcity.

Shouting at the graul did not seem to distract it, and it was clear the youngling wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer. Kairi bit her lip and hoped this would work. Drawing the training blade, she pulled on the Force, and threw with all her strength. It spun end over end, gaining speed as it sailed, plunging right into the beast's massive shoulder. The graul howled in anger, turning from the child to Kairi. She summoned the blade to her hand, the exit causing the graul even more pain.

_That's it. Focus on me and not the child. _

Narrowly dodging its claws, Kairi vaulted backwards, and aimed her sword for another strike. It landed on the creature's leg, but the blade was too dull and the hide too thick to make a difference. Another tactic would have to be used.

Faking left, she tried to circle it. The graul flailed about and hit her with the flat of its arm, sending her a meter back, the blade flying from her hand and striking a rock. She barely managed to dodge another swipe, and pulled the sword to her hand.

It seemed a small eternity as she scrambled away, trying to strike, managing a strike, dodging out of the way. There was a crack and a shriek nearby. A shock of pain hit Kairi and her left leg burned.

_The youngling!_

The graul looked away for a split-second, long enough for her to wound its leg. Unfortunately, the damaged sword broke in half, leaving her with a jagged, almost useless, half a blade. The little Duros was on the ground crying with fear and pain, his left leg bent unnaturally. Standing between the child and the graul, she readied her broken sword and prepared to make a last stand of it when she heard the blessed sound of a lightsaber's hum.

She could feel more than see Vrook charging down the hill in red combat robes, the emerald blade of his lightsaber making attacks and dodges at dizzying speeds. His style was a acrobatic one; Force-assisted jumps and spins making him almost impossible for the slow beast to hit him. He was little more than a red and green blur.

Crouching between Cei and the beast, she shielded the small Duros with her body, concentrating on the sharp pain and acid fear he was projecting, pulling it into herself. Her sight focused on the graul, Kairi pushed out, willing the horrible thing to feel the child's pain.

The beast had raised his arm for another attack on Vrook when it howled in pain and fell back, its leg twisting beneath its bulk. Vrook saw his opening and dispatched it with a jab through its chest, its massive carcass shaking the ground when it hit.

Vrook glowered with his usual disapproval. "Let go of the child."

She did, and the boy screamed with pain. She was brushing the child's bare, grey forehead, trying to soothe him. Pain shot through her leg, even though she knew she wasn't wounded. Vrook repeated his order, and she looked back up at him, scowling.

"More disobedience," he said. "You're shaping up to be everything I expected."

Saving a youngling from certain death and being lectured on _protocol_? Kairi understood the need for it better than most. Still, a very undiplomatic part of her wondered if Vrook kept his saber shoved up his nether regions. In frustration, she got up and searched among the broken branches for something she could use for a splint, hobbling as she did. "Take me there in chains if you have to. In the meantime, he needs his leg splinted and set."

Cei looked between them. "Not her fault," he admitted with a sniffle. "My fault. I went past the fence. I'm sorry, Master Vrook. Really really sorry..." Tears started to leak from the boy's red eyes.

"Cei, Jedi do not cry. Tar'teelok will deal with you getting past the fence later. For now, I'll take care of the leg. It probably hurts a great deal."

Cei sniffed. "It...doesn't hurt much. I think she's made the pain go away."

Vrook looked up. "Cei's pain...?"

Kairi hissed. "I think I've got it. It's not the worst pain I've been in, but it's up there." She picked up two heavy sticks. "All we need is something to tie them."

"We won't need a splint," Vrook said, weighing something in his mind. "Keep concentrating on taking the boy's pain, apprentice. I'll handle the rest."

His large, pale hands traveled down the child's leg and his breathing slowed. "Deep breaths, Cei. Your leg wants to be straight. Keep thinking that."

When Vrook set Cei's leg, Kairi hissed loudly as white-hot pain seemed to shoot up her own leg. Vrook then put his hands on the fracture, and Kairi was almost blinded by another jolt. It subsided in an instant, and the bone knit before her unbelieving eyes within a minute or two.

"There. Can you stand, Cei?"

Experimentally, Cei got to his feet, testing the healing done to his leg. The pain had melted, and Cei's gratitude hit Kairi with more power than the pain ever did.

"Thanks, Master. Thanks, Lady. Feels good. Can we go home?"

"Yes," said Vrook. "We will go home, but I hope this is a lesson to you and your peers about why that barrier exists and why we so strongly warn you never to cross it."

He looked down at his feet, pupilless red eyes full of shame.

"But for now, let us go back to the Enclave. I have much to discuss with her."

"She in trouble? The graul woulda eaten me."

"It'll be okay," she said to appease the child. "He's worried because I was late to my lessons."

"Okay."

They traveled back to the Enclave, and Cei was led back to his youngling clan. His playmate rushed forward to give him a big hug, looking up at both Kairi and Vrook with unaltered gratitude and joy. Ah, Kairi could bask in this like summer sunshine. It felt _incredible_ to breathe it in - like the smell of fresh grass and clean water after only knowing Taris. She could feel it warm her, like Mission's impulsive hugs did. At that moment, she was every bit as grateful to the little Duros as he was to her and Vrook.

Vrook had other ideas, though. He all but dragged her into a training room and bolted the door. "Explain your actions. You also crossed that line like that foolish youngling and almost suffered the same consequences."

"I won't apologize for what I did. One of the other children came up to me, as I was the only adult in sight, and told me Cei was lost. I set out to find him, and once I realized he crossed the line, I felt his fear and chased after him. Another minute, and he would have been that thing's afternoon snack."

"You are forgetting apprentice, that you would have become the second course if it were not for my intervention."

She held her ground. "If our positions were reversed, what would you have me do?"

"As much as it pains me to admit, we cannot afford to lose you. I've made no secret of the fact that I disagree with the Council's decision to train you, and concede because I was outvoted."

"Nor did I have a choice in being trained," she pointed out.

"And now? The Force flows through you like none we have ever seen, but you are willful and headstrong; a dangerous combination." Vrook pinched the bridge of his nose. "We don't need just anyone who can hold a lightsaber. We need _you_. It's your bond with Bastila that we need. That, and while all Jedi are able to sense basic emotions, there has not been a true Force Empath in the Order for generations. You took the boy's pain without effort. He felt absolutely no discomfort from that broken bone. You felt it _for him_. And you were able to transfer that pain to the graul. It was a very crude effort, but it was effective, however briefly. Such a technique already borders on the Dark Side."

Kairi put her hands behind her back. "What is the significance of this, Master?"

He rubbed his forehead. "It means that no matter how much training any of the Order's masters could give you, that is still a very dangerous ability." Vrook's gravelly voice was just shy of anger, like usual. Already he was bristling with the ozone-flavor of disapproval. "Worse, it's one that no living master can teach. Even the holocrons dealing with Force Empathy like yours were lost with Ossus."

Kairi sighed. "So, you did not want to train me. When it comes to the most prominent display of my Force abilities, you cannot train me, aside from guesswork. This is an untenable situation."

"Very much so," Vrook conceded. He tried to keep up the mask of brusque disapproval."If you find me overly critical, perhaps it is because you do not comprehend what is at stake. The Republic has brought peace and stability to the galaxy for fifteen thousand years. Now, it could all be destroyed because we, the Jedi…we failed them."

"The Mandalorian wars? Revan? Malak?"

"All three…and more. Revan and Malak were once the paragons of the Order's ideals…and they fell to Darkness. Even if Malak is defeated, what is to stop another fallen Jedi from taking up the mantle of Dark Lord? This is the burden we Masters must carry." In that moment, Vrook seemed less of a stern authority figure, and more of a man with too many responsibilities and too many losses. There was a deep void in him, a sense that he had failed to live up to his own high ideals.

"I can see your point."

"Only through relentless lessons and strict training can we keep the Dark Lord from being reborn." He folded his arms. "Your age, your strong personality, and your condition …complicate matters greatly." Vrook scowled. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Vrook."

"With all that is stacked against you, and with so much riding on you, you must realize I am harsh for a reason. I can expect nothing less than perfection, or we all could be doomed. Focus on your lessons. You need the training and guidance, lest you suffer a fate like that of Revan."

"You may not have wanted to train me any more than I wanted to be trained," she admitted. "But if there is more you can add to my training that Zhar cannot, then I will accept it."

Vrook's stony facade showed another crack. Despite a lifetime's worth of Jedi indoctrination, he had a sneaking pride and perfectionism. The idea of "if you want something done right, do it yourself" was satisfying on a deep level to him. "Zhar is waiting for you in the sparring room. I will...discuss the matter with him."

* * *

Well after Zhar had returned to his quarters for the night, and was working on administrative tasks for the Enclave, he heard a rapping on his door. Jedi senses being what they were, he already knew who it was.

"Come in, Vrook."

The wooden door opened and Vrook stepped in. "I've come to discuss _her._"

Zhar turned off his terminal and stood up. "I heard about how she tried to save the life of a youngling who had wandered too far from the sonic fence. I also heard that she took the boy's pain while you Force-healed his leg."

"And managed to throw that pain at the graul long enough for me to kill it," Vrook said.

Zhar's eyes grew wide. "I taught her no such technique."

Vrook paced the floor. "Do you suppose it's all part of some clever plan, getting us to lower our guard? Revan was a genius at it, and so was Revan's master. We're still uncovering the damage they did."

Zhar's lekku twitched. "I do not think so. I have had Bastila discreetly question her companions and found nothing suspicious. I have spent many hours in training with her and also found nothing suspicious. It might have been better if we had, then we would know what we dealt with. As it stands, it seems that all she has in common with Revan is the empathic bent of her Force connection."

"I have trouble believing, Zhar. How can you look at her _not_ see the worst possible outcome? You've said it yourself; she learns in weeks what has taken others years, and we both know why. I keep guard because I must."

Zhar bowed his head. "I have gone through much with her, and so has Dorak. She is already reading holocrons, and will be ready to construct a lightsaber in two weeks' time by my estimation. Vrook, even under the best of circumstances, we will not be able to keep her here."

"And should she discover the things we have tried to keep from her?" Vrook folded his arms across his chest.

"Then we will hope that we have done it correctly this time, and leave the rest to the Force's will. Vrook, I ask you, not just as a fellow master, but as...." Zhar stopped himself, and took a deep breath. "As a friend. Please, in the remaining time we have her, she will need your perspective."

Vrook nodded. "I'll...trust you in this, Zhar, and place her with the older apprentices I am teaching. That way, I can observe her more closely. For the sake of us all, my hope is that your faith is not misplaced."

"Tomorrow, we'll tell her about Revan."

"Zhar, have you gone _completely_ mad?!"

"It is more dangerous to deny who and what Revan was, especially given her visions and her talents. If we do not, then half-truths and misinformation from around the galaxy will fill that void. Dorak and Vandar will be with us, of course."

* * *

When Kairi came to Dorak the following morning, she had unexpected company. Instead of the usual buzz of apprentices and Jedi at their studies in the archives, there were only the four masters. Vrook and Dorak flanked Zhar while Vandar, absurdly enough, stood on the table. Quickly, she looked around the library for any other pupils...or anyone else for that matter. She was still uneasy over the last time she was standing in front of all of them, especially with their emotions buried so deeply they may as well be sealed in duracrete.

"You are not in trouble," Vandar assured her. "But the incident with Cei proves how far along you truly are in your training. And there is a topic we must speak to you about apart from others."

"Why is that, exactly?" Kairi asked warily.

Vrook supplied the answer, though she could still see a wall there. Never a lie, of course, but Kairi suspected she wasn't told a full truth, either. "With the obvious damage to your memory, what is common knowledge to others is not that way to you. We want you to hear it from us, and not through third-hand accounts or from those whose experiences have left them embittered towards the Order."

"Take a chair, Kairi," Vandar said. "For this will take some time. We are hear to speak to you of Revan."

Revan? The name sent chills down her spine. The black-robed figure of her nightmares was never spoken of in the Enclave, at least not in her presence. Bastila had said little on the subject, and Kairi was loathe to ask. Best to let the dead stay dead, to keep Malak's predecessor in the realm of vivid dreams. "Because of the dreams I had with Bastila? Masters, I've not had another once since I go here."

"But you will soon be finished with what I have to teach you, and your apprenticeship will end." Zhar said. "Not to say that your training will ever be complete, as a Jedi must always be learning."

"I have let you read as much I have about the early days of the Order," Dorak like always, was distant. He concentrated on the academic, the analytical. He preferred the distance of history to the concerns of the present. Kairi idly wondered if, despite his rank, he had ever traveled much outside Enclaves and archives. "Of how the conclave of mystics on Tython first discovered the Force and ways to pull on it. I also told you of how it splintered as a handful of them embraced corruption, leading to the Force Wars. When the lessons of the Force Wars had been forgotten, Xendor seduced hundreds into his Legions of Lettow. The Hundred-Year Darkness ended with the beginnings of what we now call Sith. There have been conflicts like the Vultar Uprising, and even the Great Hyperspace War - these were the conflicts that paved the path for Exar Kun."

"You've told me about these and about Exar Kun," Kairi pointed out. "He was the last known Sith Lord prior to Revan."

Vandar was always hard to read, the meter-high alien having a thought process different enough from most sentients to make it difficult, and decades (centuries?) in the Order to master the famous Jedi detachment. "The war against him was devastating. Pupil fought master, old friends tried to murder each other. No one was immune from the terrible fighting. There were none among the Republic or Jedi who did not lose a friend or relative to the war as it burned across the galaxy."

"In that time," Vrook explained. "Ulic Qel-Droma, a fallen Jedi, bound the Mandalorians in servitude to the Sith. When Exar Kun was defeated and his forces driven back, what had once been an isolated group of barbaric nomads craved greater expression of their bloodlust. These simple-minded brutes excel only in the art of slaughter, and they had been shown a galaxy rich in targets for their self-imposed crusade."

Kairi bit the inside of her cheek. There was very little these archives had of Mandalorians, not even a book written in their language. Suddenly, she wished very much that Canderous had been able to hear that statement. He probably wouldn't appreciate his people being referred to in that way. He was certainly fond of a good fight, but only a fool would dismiss him as "simple-minded." _The Masters are wise and well-educated, so why are they resorting to lazy assumptions? _

Dorak continued. "Twenty years ago the Mandalorians, aware the Republic was in a weakened state, began conquering small worlds on the Outer Rim. They were careful to choose only planets outside the Republic's jurisdiction. After much debate, the Senate chose not to intervene. As long as the Mandalorians avoided planets that were members of the Republic itself, there would be no retaliation."

"The Mandalorians were enslaving and killing millions just outside their borders, and the Republic sat and did nothing?" Kairi asked, saddened, thinking of how the prosperous Tarisian upper class turned their backs on their neighbors and let the Sith do as they liked. It ended up being the death of them all. "Those worlds would have resources and recruits, but little for protection. The _Mando'ade_ had already had a taste of fighting the Republic, and they hate to lose. How could the Republic and Jedi not see through something so obvious?"

Dorak folded his arms. "You can hardly blame the Republic for not taking action. The memory of war fresh in everyone's mind, no one was eager to relive those horrors in a war with the Mandalorians." He sighed. "But in the end, it was unavoidable. The Mandalorians launched a three-pronged invasion of the Republic, who had no choice but to retaliate."

"And the Jedi? Revan and Malak were Jedi, does that mean the Order aided the Republic?"

"No, we did not." Vrook said.

"What?!" Kairi was stunned. "Bad enough the Republic leaves their neighbors to die, but the Jedi did _nothing, _even after the Republic was attacked directly?"

"We had reason, apprentice. Do not presume otherwise," Vrook scolded. "Mandalorians are savages with high-powered weapons – nothing more."

Dorak sighed. "The Republic petitioned the Jedi for aid, but there were many factors to consider before we allowed ourselves to be drawn into another conflict so soon after the war with Exar Kun. The High Council felt that the Mandalorians were only a symptom of a larger plan at work."

"What kind of plan?"

"The Mandalorians had been thralls of the Sith only a short time ago and not all of Exar Kun's forces were destroyed," Zhar pointed out. "You said it yourself, Kairi. We saw a trap, and sought to avoid it."

"It was also Exar Kun's War that caused us to look hard at ourselves. No longer could we take apprentices from adolescence and adulthood. No longer could we be permissive about _any_ aspect of a Jedi's life. Any breach, any crack, anything other than one-hundred percent loyalty to the Order and the Council could no longer be permitted," Vrook said tersely. "In war, Jedi drown in the rivers of blood shed on both sides, ripping them apart from within and without. War would have divided us when could not afford any disunity."

"The Order still split," Kairi said. She was more annoyed than anything. Really, four of them coming to deliver a history lesson – weren't there more important matters to attend to?

Dorak folded his hands, interweaving his thick, dark fingers. "Yes, because there were many among our Order eager to join the battle, despite the consequences. Two young knights in particular demanded action - Revan and Malak. The names alone should tell you the tragic ending to the tale."

Zhar pulled out a chair and sat down, the better to look at her and not on her. "The Jedi Order moved too slowly for Revan and Malak; we were too cautious in their eyes. When the Mandalorian threat first arose, they were eager to journey to the Outer Rim to defeat the enemy of the Republic. The Council attempted to turn them away from the idea, but they would not be dissuaded. It was inevitable many of the Order, often our youngest and brightest, would flock to the seemingly noble cause."

She remembered what Carth had said about the pair; how they and the Jedi Crusaders had made all the difference in turning the tide of the war. "Without them, from what I understand, the Republic would be crushed under a _bes'kar_ boot." After a pause, she added. "Carth and Canderous squabbled all the way here, and that was the only point where they could agree."

Vrook shook his head, and radiated another vinegar-tasting flash of annoyance and disgust.

Dorak said, "No one is denying that Revan was a brilliant military leader, and Malak an equally effective combatant. They were key to defeating the Mandalorians. The Council did not approve of the disobedience, but the Republic called them heroes. By the time the Mandalorians surrendered, a third of the Republic fleet was under their direct command."

"What became of them after the war? Were they banished?"

Dorak answered, "No, the ships under Revan's command went deep into unexplored space. They claimed to be searching for the last remnants of the Mandalorian fleet. All contact was lost. For many months it was assumed some great disaster had befallen them."

"No one knows where they went, and with Revan…gone and Malak what he is, we probably never will know," Zhar added. "Our own investigations turned up nothing."

Dorak said, "What we do know is the result. Three years ago, Revan and Malak returned at the head of a massive invasion fleet. Revan had assumed the title of Sith Lord; the hero had become a conqueror."

"What happened to turn them?" she asked.

Vrook was again like stone, but she saw cracks in it now, fault lines of guilt and a facade of dogma to compensate. "My colleagues may debate this, but I do not believe Revan and Malak were corrupted on the Outer Rim. They had begun their journey down the dark path long before the Mandalorian threat appeared. They merely seized the opportunity it presented." He crossed his arms and looked down at her from the other side of the table. "Whatever the explanation, the Order was unable to turn them back to the Light. Had the Council taken more decisive action in this matter, perhaps Revan and Malak could have been stopped before dragging so many down with them. But in this we failed."

Zhar almost scowled as he looked Vrook's direction. "Whatever the cause - the war, something in their journeys, perhaps some other reason - their ideals became twisted, their spirits were tainted and they fell to the Dark Side."

"And when Revan fell to the dark side it was inevitable Malak would fall as well," Vandar added.

"So Revan was stronger than Malak?" Kairi asked. "Or Revan compelled him somehow?"

"Revan was always the leader; the more powerful of the pair." Vandar said. "Indeed, Zhar and I both had helped to train Revan, and admired the young Knight a great deal. That is why the fall was so terrible to witness."

"Really?" Now Kairi was very curious. "Master, you never mentioned this."

"It was because I wanted to wait until you were ready, Kairi," Zhar said. "It is one thing to understand a lesson, but to truly comprehend it takes a wisdom that only comes with time. And I would be lying if I said I do not see some of Revan in you. When I was assigned to Coruscant, Revan and Malak would come to me for additional training. Revan was a prodigy, my most promising pupil, one I felt sure would someday become a champion of the Jedi Order."

Vandar added. "Revan and Malak were both strong in the Force, but also audacious and proud. Such traits are not unusual in young Jedi. Perhaps that was why we did not see the true extent of the danger. When they left and took so many with them, it was a terrible blow to us all."

"We are not telling you this in accusation - merely as a warning." Zhar said. He was like a glowstick, soft light with little shadow, even-tempered with his concern. He did not have prominent fault lines like Vrook and Dorak. More than most, he was exactly the man he appeared to be. Still, she could sense the brittle ice that guarded his words and actions. The topic was clearly painful to him.

"And for clarification," Vandar added, padding across the table to sit in lotus position near her. "For Revan is the figure you see in your visions, and whose presence will linger, I suspect, for a very long time."

"The war against the Sith now," Kairi said shakily. "I know things are going badly. They must be if you are desperate enough to put a lightsaber into my hand. I need to know _how_ badly."

"For two years, the Sith were virtually unstoppable," Zhar said "Their ranks swelled with each new conquest. Revan's tactics were devastating to the Republic's forces, and the Sith converted or killed scores of Jedi. All hope seemed lost until Bastila's gift for Battle Meditation was discovered. Currently, that ability is the best hope we have."

Vrook conceded Zhar's point. "The young Jedi holds great promise... and great danger. She can do much for both the Republic and the Council. Without her skill in Battle Meditation the Sith armada would have conquered the galaxy long ago. But despite her command of the Force, Bastila is still young. She is a Jedi, but she has not attained the rank of Master." He addressed his colleagues more than he did Kairi. "The Council would do well to remember this before we lay the fate of the galaxy on her slender shoulders."

"We understand, Vrook, but these are desperate times," Vandar admonished.

Dorak steered things back on topic. "We used it to set a trap. Bastila was with the strike team that tried to capture Revan, as you probably know. She was there at Revan's end."

"The battle on the bridge in my vision." It wasn't a question, but she still had no answer as to why she had the vision.

"Bastila's abilities have bought us time, but that is all it's bought us. It's been almost a year since Revan's defeat, but things have improved little," said Vrook. "Malak is not Revan's equal in strategy or tactics, but he is a fearsome warrior. The Sith grow in both ships and soldiers. If we do not find some way to stop them soon, Malak will overwhelm us with sheer numbers. The _Endar Spire's_ mission – Bastila's mission – was to pinpoint the source of the Sith fleet."

"The Sith have shipyards, right? Conquered worlds and their resources?"

"Even a thousand outposts the size and capacity of the Kuat Drive Yards could not fully explain the Sith war machine," Dorak pointed out. "Many of the ships at the war's beginning were those that had defected with Revan, but there are many more of an alien design we have never seen before, and they are being built at an astonishing rate. It is not just the battleships. This alien design extends to their snub fighters, combat droids, and orbital weapons."

"The source of this massive fleet is one of the many things about the Sith we cannot explain. It seems impossible to have created it in such a short time, yet we cannot deny its existence," Vandar stated. "The reason we did not send a convoy to guard Bastila in her mission was because secrecy and discretion was needed. It would simply draw too much attention otherwise."

"That certainly makes sense," she said. Though she still wondered why they would expose such a valuable asset so lightly. Despite the losses, the Order still had several thousand members. Why their most valued one?

"Because of your bond to Bastila, you will be assigned to continue your work with her. Because of your background and talents, you will officially be a Jedi Consular. We don't know yet where you both will be assigned, but you will no doubt be headed to the front lines of the war." Vrook looked up at the chronometer on the wall. "Pardon me. I have a training session to attend."

Next, Zhar stood. "You have learned much, surpassing every expectation, yet there is much more for you to still understand. When you feel you are ready to continue your training, or if you have more questions we did not address, know that you can seek me out."

He too left, and Dorak left with him. She and Vandar were the only two left in the room. The small, leathery-faced alien stood, and Kairi pulled out a chair. He hopped gracefully into it, pulling gently on the Force to land.

"Much to think about, yes?" Vandar asked.

"I want to speak to Bastila about this," she said.

"You are very strong with the Force, Kairi – as strong as Revan ever was. I have watched your lessons discreetly when time allows. There will still be two final tests; the construction of a lightsaber and another test Zhar will explain later, but we will need you and Bastila to be back on the front soon. It is only a matter of time before the Sith find even this hidden refuge. The Dark Side and the Sith, however, are not the same thing. The Dark Side has many faces - many forms. Remember this if you remember nothing else, for it is the greatest danger we face."

Kairi stood up and put her hands behind her back, bowing slightly to Vandar. "I will. Thank you, Master."

His gnome-like face broke into a smile. "May the Force be with you."

* * *

"Bastila?"

Bastila had been sitting in meditation in the courtyard, a small pile of stones gently hovering in the air before her. She did not break concentration when Kairi approached. "Yes, Kairi?"

"I had an...unusual encounter with the Masters today," she said, sitting across from her and mirroring her position. "They wanted to talk to me about Revan."

"And what did they say?"

"It was mostly a history lesson, filling in the bits and pieces that I picked up from people like Carth." Kairi stopped for a moment. "Have you spoken with him? The _Hawk's_ repairs are almost complete, so it would make sense..."

"No, he hasn't been given another assignment, and things have been quiet since he and Canderous had that exercise in...teamwork."

"Bastila, what do you know about Revan and Malak? They're in our dreams, but other than that, I feel like I know even less about them now than I did when I went in with the Masters."

Bastila bit her lip and the floating rocks settled into a pile at her feet. "Kairi, I...really don't know much about them at all."

"You were on the strike team, though. You saw Revan die."

"It's true that, due to my Battle Meditation, that I was part of the strike team that boarded the _Prophesy_. It was an act of desperation, otherwise I wouldn't have been risked."

"It's true, then…you were the one to kill -"

"No, we didn't kill, Revan."

"You didn't? Then who did?"

"Our mission was to capture Revan alive, if possible. Malak saw an opportunity, firing upon his master's ship while we were still aboard."

"Considering who we're discussing, I'm not surprised."

"True, and yet the outcome of that battle was…unexpected for all of us. Revan's end was unforeseen. As I said, we were there to capture Revan alive." Bastila hung her head, looking away from Kairi and over the sea of grass. "The Jedi don't believe in executing their prisoners. No one deserves execution, no matter what their crimes."

"I'm…I'm not so certain of that," Kairi admitted.

"You aren't? Consider this, then. My own master once said that the finest lightsaber is the one that is never drawn. If you put a person to death, it answers violence with violence. It ends any chance of redemption, any chance that someone will learn and repent from their misdeeds, and prevents any restitution they can make. It does not restore the dead, merely add another corpse to the pile. It's vengeance, not justice."

Kairi nodded. "If you had captured Revan alive, what then?"

Bastila shuddered and looked away, a screaming discomfort channeled through their bond. "That...would be up to the Masters, and not a Padawan like myself. Please, the memories of that day are...very painful."

"All right," Kairi said. She was willing to change the subject, if only to allay the pain Bastila was projecting.

Bastila put her hands on Kairi's wrists, the contact startling but welcome. No one touched her, aside from a brief contact, or some correction to her sword stance. It reminded her of how much she missed Mission and Carth. Mission was always touching; grabbing her hand, patting her back, the big hug after she had won the swoop race and they had reached the relative safety of their grubby hangout. Carth was more protective, but she would never forget his steadying hands on her shoulders when she first awoke.

She missed touch. She missed _them_.

"Kairi," Bastila said. "Speak to me, please."

"They'll train me as a Consular, and they say my apprenticeship will end soon. They'll assign us together because of our bond, or so they say."

"I suspected as much." Bastila raised one hand to brush a stray hair from Kairi's face. "The others will go their separate ways and be fine. Don't worry. You've only known them a short time."

She did not want to admit it to Bastila, but on nights when sleep would not come, she lay in her thin cot and reached out for them through her heart. Carth and Mission, in particular, had very distinct signatures through the Force. Even when her empathy was nascent, and she had awakened from one of those terrible visions on Taris, she would calm herself by listening to their soft breathing. Just knowing they were close, even though she could not be with them, was an immense comfort.

Carth would go back to the Fleet. No language had enough words to thank him, or concepts to describe how much she had needed him on Taris, the one constant when all else was gone. The galaxy never lacked opportunity for a fight, so she did not worry overmuch for Canderous. Ah, but where would Mission go? She was clever and resourceful, but it was still a dangerous galaxy. She was sure that she could tell Zaalbar to keep an eye on his younger friend, and he would. Still...

"I've known them a lifetime," she pointed out. "Will I at least get a chance to say goodbye?"

"That is...the Masters' decision, but I'm sure something can be arranged." Bastila said. "It's true, though? You're close to the end of your apprenticeship? I'm very surprised."

"So am I," Kairi admitted. "But I started life as your aide, and I'll be more than glad to continue in that regard."

"Really?" Bastila seemed a little puzzled by that.

"Really," Kairi answered. "Now what is it that you really want to say? Because you've been staring at me since I got here like something's on the tip of your tongue."

"We both know the real reason why you know what is on my mind - our bond. We get glimpses into each other's minds."

"I don't understand this bond," Kairi said. "Your presence…I can always sense it. When we work together in my lessons, I feel like I can pull strength from you, and you from me. There was also that time Zhar had us levitating a boulder. We were able to lift three times the weight together than we could could working alone."

"I know," Bastila said. "But those are only the more obvious symptoms. The nature of our bond and the effect it will have on our mission remain in doubt, however. What I feel in you troubles me. A Jedi must receive considerable training to control their emotions and darker impulses – training that takes years. You are in double peril, Kairi. You'll feel the pull of everyone else's emotions, in addition to your own. The Dark Side's temptations will be unimaginably strong."

Kairi only acknowledged Bastila's words in silence. As much as she loved the learning, as much as she loved it here, she would give it all up just to remember something from who she had been.

Bastila's voice was stern. "Everything one of us does will have consequences for the other. Any reckless behavior on your part is likely to affect me as well."

"I wouldn't knowingly do anything to hurt you, Bastila," Kairi said. "Surely you know that."

"I believe that you mean what you say. For now. Sometimes, it isn't so easy to keep such promises." Bastila smiled sadly and lightly gripped Kairi's hand. "When you need guidance, advice, or support I will do my best to help you stay on the path of the Light. I only hope I will have the wisdom to see you through the dark times."

"We can help each other," Kairi said. "Maybe together, we can resist whatever comes for us."

Bastila closed her eyes, and Kairi felt the mind-link between them grow more intense for a moment, almost as if Bastila was searching Kairi's mind. Whatever it was Bastila was looking for, she seemed satisfied with the answer as she pulled away, the mind-link going back to normal.

"Maybe, Kairi…maybe"


	6. Room for One More

**Chapter 5 **

**Room For One More**

The construction of a lightsaber was a delicate matter, though the parts were simple. Zhar and Dorak had presented her with the tools and basic components, telling her that the actual construction was part of her training. Some of her reading material had gone over the procedure.

It was a little like working on T3-M4. The tools shaped the length of lightweight metal into a tube, the power cell and lens were set. Putting the energizer components in place was trickier, as was the delicate wiring and circuitry. She would work on it between classes, and after them, until the twin moons were high and her fingers were too sore to continue. It was on one of those nights, however, that she finally managed to get the green crystal to align with the emitter matrix. Experimentally, she sealed the tube and dared to turn it on.

When a long, grass-green blade emerged from the lens, no one could have been more astonished then Kairi herself. The weapon felt alive in her hand, delicate yet powerful. Despite the powerful gyroscopic "kick," it felt natural in her hand, like an extension of her body. She had practiced with training sabers, their low-powered blades dialed down and heavily shielded so that they caused no damage, but it also affected their swing, making it sluggish by comparison.

She powered it off, and walked over to the computer. It wasn't enough to have the saber power on. The only real test would be in actually using it. Kairi studied the Enclave's layout and training rooms, finding one that was not in use and had what she needed. It wasn't far from her current location, either. She left a message for Zhar on the terminal to let her know where she would be, and went to the training room.

She called up three training droids and got a helmet out of the cabinet. Securing the visor over her eyes, she centered herself. The world went to gray surfaces, cold and inanimate. This was Force Sight, her physical eyes blinded by the visor.

Powering on the saber, she ordered the droids to begin. They shot stun bolts, and she had nursed a few sore legs in her early saber training as she failed to see the droids' inorganic matter with her rudimentary Sight. Now, she practiced a Shii-Cho drill – parries and blocks, deliberate and slow, but effective. Shii-Cho had been designed for the earliest and crudest lightsabers and for vibroweapons like the blade she carried here. It was a determined form, best against large numbers and designed to disable opponents efficiently. She ducked, rolled, blocked, and deflected one of its blaster shots. It hit the sensor and that was a signal to boost its speed.

When Shii-Cho became less effective, she switched to Soresu, a form that was designed to counter blaster shots. It was a calmer, more concentrated form than the determined combat of Shii-Cho. Soresu was designed to make an opponent run out of patience or ammunition before making a pointed counterattack. Here, she used the techniques of it to keep the training droids from hitting.

The sequence continued; dodging through the field of stun blasts, deflecting and sending the shots back to their origin. It was five blocks per second, and then ten. Her hair had come loose from the leather ties, her forehead covered with sweat. As she blocked the last shot in each of the droids' reserves, they powered down. Kairi raised the visor and inspected her new weapon again. She couldn't help but feel a touch of pride, realizing her hard work paid off.

"Well done, apprentice!" Zhar's soothing voice was tinged with clear approval.

"How long have you been standing there, and why did I not see you?"

"I only entered as you had powered down the final droid. I received your message and was watching your progress on the cameras. That is why you did not see me through your Force Sight or empathy."

She walked over to him and handed him the saber. "It works."

He inspected the hilt and the lens, powering it on and off. "I saw. Very impressive. The crystal is set perfectly, and your lightsaber is balanced with great care." Zhar handed it back. "It is fine work, apprentice."

"I had good advice," Kairi admitted. "And Dorak gave me much to read on the subject."

"Your lightsaber will identify you as a Jedi, and with that comes great honor as well as great enemies. The Sith and Dark Jedi will hunt you, and when the time comes, you will also have to prove yourself against foes who wield a lightsaber themselves."

Kairi nodded. "I know," she said. Though the Enclave was isolated, talk of the War and the hard fight of the Republic were constant now, word of Taris's fate trickling down even to the farmers, who worried if their planet would be next.

"Now that you have built your lightsaber, Kairi, there is but one test left for you. For every Jedi, the Dark Side poses our greatest threat. It is always present. You must come to understand this for yourself. None can teach you. This will be your last trial as an apprentice."

Kairi waited for further explanation.

"Vrook and I have been speaking, and we have found a suitable test. There is a sacred grove we have used for meditation, but we had to stop using it shortly before your arrival. It has become tainted, twisting nature itself. The grass has turned brown and dead. The wildlife itself seems to have gone mad."

"What is causing the corruption, Master? What you describe sounds more like symptoms, not the disease itself."

"Ah, yes. You always were perceptive…but you must go to the grove yourself to understand the true source of the corruption. It is to the south, and you will know when you are there."

Kairi thought a moment. "When do I leave?"

"Tonight, you will rest. A kit will be waiting for you in your quarters, as the task may take several days." The Twi'lek smiled. "Remember this as you go, my young apprentice. A Jedi acts with patience and care…and those on the Dark path are not always forever lost."

* * *

As Zhar stated, a small backpack was provided, containing a little food, a holomap of the area within a fifty-kilometer radius, a small fire-starting kit, a bedroll, and other tools, as well as a tan Padawan's robe. Dressing in it, she shouldered the pack, secured her lightsaber to her belt, and set off.

She had reached the doors when she saw a weary and disheveled Belaya waiting for her. Kairi had only seen her in passing during her training. Usually, she was reserved to the point of incivility, her emotions bound tightly like the bun in her hair. Today, she didn't bother to bind her hair, and an uneasiness spilled from her presence.

"Belaya?"

"You have been sent to the grove, yes?"

"Well, yes. Why?"

"I...I petitioned to be the one going, but was refused each time. It seems the Council has forbidden anyone other than you to go near. I just hope -" Her voice was on the fine edge of breaking. Kairi took Belaya's shoulders, and her inner eyes could see the rivers of fear and hope dueling within her.

"I _pray_ they've chosen the right person," Belaya said, pressing a gold hair clasp into Kairi's hand before retreating back into the Enclave.

* * *

The way there was long, and she had already swallowed one of those dreadful food bars that were put in her pack, washing it down with water from a nearby stream. She didn't sense much for sentient life – a farmer in his field far to the west, an itinerant Rodian merchant traveling to a nearby settlement by speeder. Fortunately, there wasn't any sign of more grauls. Her saber was quite effective against the kath hounds, who had apparently had seen enough of them to develop fear.

As she traveled, she entered a narrow valley full of twisted, jagged black stones. The majority were at the burial mound to the east, but these were the remains of a second compound. Daring to touch one, her mind went black for a moment.

_Terrified sentients of species from across the galaxy were forcibly marched to these cramped quarters by tall, amphibious-looking creatures with elongated, oval shaped heads. There wasn't enough room to sit, and the babble of hundreds of languages made it impossible to understand anything. Some were already sick, and the illness was spreading, leaving a putrid smell in the air. Over in the distance, a half-finished work site of black stone loomed ominously. _

The collected terror of the slaves hit her so hard that she inhaled sharply and jumped back. Was it the past or the future she saw? Some kind of metaphor? Was it just her imagination and adrenaline, brought on by the sticky atmosphere of the valley and having to keep chasing off packs of predators?

Never mind - there were too many questions, not enough information, and a task to perform. Kairi picked her pace up into a brisk jog as she headed towards the grove.

Past the valley wasn't any better. The further she went to the south, the more sickly the vegetation looked. Trees that were supposed to be full of fruit looked twisted and scorched. The grass was a sickly yellow-green despite the recent rains. Picking a handful of berries from a bush by the river, Kairi shuddered at their bitter taste.

It was late in the afternoon, the sun low on the horizon, but not quite sunset. What could the taint be? Some artifact, like the ominous stones east of the Enclave? Some kind of environmental poison? Was it an act of malicious vandalism that somehow made the Force shriek in the area? Idily, she rubbed her thumb over the gold clasp in her pocket. Belaya knew something, but she either didn't know how to say it, or was somehow _forbidden_ from saying it.

Her feet ached from the hours of walking, and she was already bruised in several places from encounters with kath hounds. Finding a rather large blba, she climbed its spiky trunk and rested at the junction of two large branches to keep out of reach of the local wildlife. It wasn't the most comfortable spot to meditate, but one took the refuge one could find. If nothing else, resting for a while would certainly be a relief to her feet.

The web of life here was like tattered cloth, small holes and frays. The disturbance in the Force was sickening the plants, causing the iriaz and other creatures to become diseased or retreat. The kath hounds weren't well-fed by the sickly and scarce prey, their hunger causing them to attack anything crossing their path in the hopes of a meal. Sighing, Kairi shifted position slightly, stretching out her awareness. The grove covered a large area. She would need to pinpoint where this sickness came from.

She saw in her minds' eye another cluster of stones three hills away. They weren't the obsidian-black of the ones in the valley. These were grey colored, the remains of something crafted from native stone. As she tried to look deeper within the Force, a blast of white hot anger smacked her, and she barely kept from falling out of the tree.

"Looks like I found the epicenter," Kairi muttered, climbing back down the tree. She checked her pack and her lightsaber. Whatever was in that stone ruin, it wasn't going to be pleased to have company.

Sure enough, there was the remnants of what had once been some kind of stone hut or villa. Four stone slabs in the ground and tiles of what could have been a floor packed into the soil like the floor of the Council Chambers, the surfaces worn flat by wind and rain. Three sides were enclosed, and part of the cliff was dug away to make a rude shelter. In the center of the ruin was a tall woman of an unusual species. Her wiry, cat-like body was covered in short, cream colored fur with brown stripes. She wore the tattered remains of what may have been a robe and sat so still Kairi almost mistook her for a statue.

Until the woman's gold eyes flew open, and a ruby-red lightsaber ignited. Kairi barely managed to parry the incoming blow.

* * *

When Juhani saw the lightsaber, it only seemed to stoke the fires of her anger. How dare they! And a _human, _just to add further insult. The Council had certainly taken their time in sending someone to kill her. How many could they send, would they send? What would it take for them to leave her alone in this place? The grove twisted and shrieked around her, perfectly reflecting the agony in her own heart. Nothing would take her from her refuge - nothing!

The human woman rolled away, grimly saluting her. They circled, clashed, but the human did not counter.

She tried to attack again, only to have the human deflect the blow and let Juhani rush past her. Damn defensive Soresu – never her favorite style. Was this one only toying with her? If she was, then…

Juhani howled with rage. "If you are going to fight, then fight. Do not play games!"

The human said nothing, blocking. Sometimes, she would use an Ataru spin, or a Makashi feint, but she always fell back to Soresu, the defensive style. Juhani kept attacking. This human had to break her stance sometime!

The hiss and clash of blade continued until she had the little human backed up against the wall. Juhani was breathing heavily now, the strain of combat and rage catching up to her. But there would be no escape for the one the Council sent to kill her. She raised her saber for a killing blow...

Only for the human to twist her green blade just slightly, striking the lens assembly of Juhani's saber, and follow it up with a telekentic jolt that sent her colliding with the opposite wall, a perfect _sun djem_ that deprived her of a functioning weapon and knocked the wind from her. Elements, this was a skilled duelist. They must have had to call a Master in from off-world.

Her green blade lit, she walked over to where Juhani was still trying to catch her breath. The fight was over. Her anger spent, Juhani felt no fear, just relief. She wanted so much for it to be over. Her life was worth so little to begin with, and would end the same way.

"You are strong," Juhani said, pulling herself up to kneel and offer her neck for the blade. "Stronger than me, even in my darkness. Who is it that takes my life?"

The other Jedi was silent, standing over her as if trying to make a decision.

"The Council sent you to remove the taint, correct? Why else would they send a Jedi here? I killed my own master and embraced the Dark Side. I have tried to kill you and failed. Why, then, when you bested me so easily, do you not simply finish your task? Is it not apparent that I can never be saved?" Juhani asked with a snarl. "I welcome death. Act or begone."

Another long pause, and then the human's blade powered off. Without a word, she turned around and left.

Juhani glumly sat up, curling in on herself like she did in a slaver's cage, long ago and yet not _long enough_ ago. If the human did not kill her, then the kath hounds or the elements would - eventually.

* * *

Kairi's decision was not to make one. The whirlwind of rage and self-loathing the woman projected made it cripplingly hard to breathe, much less think. Just being in her presence was as intensely painful as being thrown from the remains of her swoop. Kairi paced the thick grasses, gathering an armload of sticks and dry branches for building a fire. It really was just to buy time. Eventually, she would have to go back there, but she just could not do it right now.

Dark Jedi were probably the greatest threat to regular Jedi. Sith had codes, laws, and a structure – of sorts. Jedi who had fallen but remained independent were like dual-sided Pazaak cards. There was nothing constraining or guiding them, and therefore they were far more treacherous. Often, they knew only enough to be foolishly dangerous to themselves and everything around them. If that woman had killed a Jedi Master, and had the Force presence to taint everything in a kilometer's radius, then she truly was the right combination of foolish and dangerous.

But there was no justification for killing an enemy that was unarmed and had clearly surrendered. The Dark Side ran within her, and the damage she was doing to the grove left little doubt that she had a very solid Force connection. The Sith would have gladly taken her into their ranks. Yet, she had not chosen to join the Jedi's enemies. She chose a sentence of exile – albeit self imposed. The grief, rage, pain, and guilt had already driven her halfway insane and left her begging for death.

Even if Kairi spared her life, did the fallen Jedi have it in her to take an offer of help?

Kairi sighed and added one more branch to the armload.

It was after night had fallen that she returned. The woman hadn't moved from the spot, aside from curling in on herself Having given up on the prospect of a quick death, she just radiated a deep, exhausted grief. Dropping the pile of sticks in the center of the hovel, Kairi took out a firestarter from her belt and lit them.

Kairi spoke quietly, but evenly. "You're a very good duelist, actually, and you've a lot more physical strength. I can't pull off Juyo moves like you can – I've not the raw strength for it. Had you been focused on wanting to win, you probably would have defeated me."

"Seeing as my lightsaber is broken, and my life is yours, the point is moot. If you are not here to kill me, then what do you wish of me?"

Kairi met her gaze. "Right now, I just want to talk."

"Talk?! You who have beaten me so easily just want to talk? I do not believe it."

"My name's Kairi. What's yours?"

"Juhani," She had a thick, lilting accent, rolling the letter "resh" sounds and blurring her "vev" and "wesk" sounds to the point where they sounded nearly the same. Finally, Kairi was able to place the woman's species.

"You're Cathar, aren't you?"

"I am," Juhani admitted. "And a disgrace to the legacy of Sylvar."

"Stop that," Kairi said. "It's hurting me."

Juhani cocked her head to one side, uncertain she had heard Kairi correctly. "Pardon?"

"I said stop it. I sense emotions more keenly than other Jedi. You're hurting so much, it's causing me physical pain."

Juhani became contrite. "I apologize. I have spoken to no one since coming here." She sighed and unfolded herself slightly, scooting closer to the fire.

"Why did you come here?"

There was a flicker of anger, but Juhani seemed too exhausted to maintain it. "My master, Quatra...I seized the power of hate, and killed her during a training session. She knew there was much anger in me, but she also thought I would adhere to the Light! Instead, I betrayed her trust and fell prey to my own inner darkness. In killing her, I can never be forgiven, so here I shall stay."

"So you never thought of leaving here? Maybe even of joining the Jedis' enemies?"

Juhani shook her head. "No. It would have been best if I kept my own Darkness quarantined, so that others would not be touched by it." She sighed heavily. "Why do you ask this, human?"

"Curiosity, mostly. Really, Juhani, you did make a terrible mistake, but you've at least made an effort not to compound it."

The rage and self-hatred surged up anew. "Mistake? What foolishness is this? There are standards, and they are made to apply to everyone. If I cannot measure up to them? Well then, I am no one at all. It was I who hurt her, I who killed her! Her suffering is my fault alone!"

"Juhani..." Kairi said, the pain putting an edge in her voice. "Please stop hurting me. Take a deep breath and think of the Code, or...or something other than how badly you want to die. Otherwise, there's a chance I could be taking your place here."

She paused, looking curiously at Kairi. After a moment, she sat back down. "There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force..." Juhani said, repeating the words a second time, just to cement them in her mind. "Strange, how much comfort they bring."

"There's something else. I was given this when I left the Enclave this morning." Kairi extended her hand and opened it, revealing the small gold clip.

"Water and Earth..." Juhani said breathlessly. She reached into Kairi's hand, taking the clasp, and turning it over in her hand. "Belaya is still there?"

"And close to tears when I left this morning. I've seen her at the courtyard's edge on many nights, and thought she was just watching the horizon. I guess she was watching for you."

"I believed my terrible act ended our...friendship," Juhani said. "But she gave this to you?"

"Is it yours?"

"It was a gift Belaya gave to me. We spent many nights watching the stars together."

Given Belaya's distraught state when she left the Enclave, the secrecy she used when approaching, and Juhani's cross of elation and yearning when she saw the clip, Kairi could easily discern that it wasn't the kind of friendship the Council would support. The fact it snapped Juhani out of despair was reason enough not to care.

"I'm glad it brings you some peace."

Juhani hung her head in shame. ""Not anger, peace. Yet, even with your naive attitude, you best me. It would seem I have much to learn…about being a Jedi, and about myself." She hung her head. "But I wish the cost had not been so high, that my master had not suffered because of me."

"It's said that a Jedi goes back to the Force when they die, and maybe that's true of all things. Energy can't be destroyed, only dispersed or diverted." Kairi threw another log on the pile. " If it is, then Quatra's still around - in the sky, in the trees, on the wind. It's a thought, anyway."

"If she were alive, there would be so much that I would say…so much to apologize for. I think, in my own way, that I truly loved her." Pain twisted her face. "Oh, how many times have I begged forgiveness while waiting in this ruin?"

It was an impulsive move, certainly, but Kairi didn't care. She got up and circled the fire to kneel next to Juhani, taking the other woman's shoulders, concentrating on peace, absolution, comfort. She hoped Juhani had it in her to fight the despair long enough to take it."Shhh…it's all right. Let it go…"

Juhani folded her legs under herself, reaching up to wrap her arms around Kairi. It took three shuddering breaths before the first tears started to fall.

* * *

They talked all night. More accurately, Juhani did most of the talking, and Kairi would listen. The storm had broken, though. Juhani felt more peaceful than she had in a long time.

They took a longer, less hilly route, bypassing the ruins. She was confused and uncertain of what to make of the human walking beside her. She had thought no one, especially no Jedi, could forgive her for destroying Quatra. She had hoped to become the creature she thought she was, only to have this stranger not destroy her (as she was sure the Council ordered), but to befriend her. Maybe there would be no forgiveness for what she had done. Maybe she would be sentenced to exile or stripped of the Force. It was a sorrowful prospect, but one she could accept.

They stopped to wash up when the early afternoon heat became oppressive. It took longer in Juhani's case, as her time in the grove left her fur matted and tangled in many places. Among Kairi's provisions was a small comb, and she offered to help brush the mats out of Juhani's fur. Juhani was tempted by the offer, but the gold clasp in her hair was a heavy reminder of why it would be...best...if she brushed herself. They tried to wash Juhani's soiled robes, but it was clear that they were only good for rags. Instead of the rations, Juhani pulled Kairi over to a thick tangle of vegetation, pulling some roots and plucking a few early-ripening fruits from the trees. It was a simple meal, sure, but it certainly was more appetizing than the alternative. As they sat, a pack of kath hounds passed. No longer inflamed to attack, they merely passed by and continued their search for iriaz and other non-sentient prey.

"The land's calmed down," Kairi said. "And the seasons are being gentle. The grove should heal quickly."

"I have a little trouble believing I caused that echo," Juhani said.

"Why not? You've got a pretty big presence in the Force, especially with all that emotion backing you."

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no passion, there is serenity." Juhani recited two lines from the Code and pulled her arms behind her to stretch her shoulders. "I suppose this is a reason the Masters caution against such things."

"I'm surrounded in it – emotion, I mean. I hear it's something very rare, and the Masters themselves admit they have trouble training it."

"How strange. I know that there are a few species in the galaxy that have the ability to sense the emotions of others, but their ability is not based in the Force, as far as we can tell. Even among Jedi, we are limited to sensing only strong emotion, surface feelings. If that is the case, how is it that you are not crippled by this in combat?"

"I'm not sure myself," Kairi admitted. "Fighting puts up a lot of noise, and the threat to my life creates a wall of sorts. It's only afterward that I get blasted with input. As far as anyone can tell, it's some kind of reflex." Kairi crossed her arms, tense and eager to change the subject. "It will probably be late by the time we get to the Enclave. I'd be welcome to put you up in my ship for the night."

"Your ship?"

"Long story," Kairi said. "The crime lord it belonged to won't be needing it anymore, and it's undergoing repairs at the spaceport. It'll at least be a warm bed, and it shouldn't be too hard to scrounge up a change of clothes."

"That...would be appreciated."

* * *

Indeed, it was late in the evening by the time they got back, winding their way through the back pathways of the quiet spaceport. Kairi keyed in the access code and lowered the ramp, gesturing for Juhani to go first. They were quiet as they walked the ship's corridors, heading to the quarters in the back. Davik's stateroom was farthest aft on the starboard side. Three rooms, one just to the fore of the state room, and a pair of them on the port side, were just big enough for two standard-sized fold-out bunks and a pair of footlockers. These were for the pilot and whatever enforcers were coming along. The "common room" was set up around a holoprojector and large computer console, with auxiliary consoles embedded into the walls. Kairi threw open a hatch and climbed down a ladder, leading Juhani into the galley. It was the same approximate diameter of the computer room above, but with a low ceiling and round table. Just off to the side was the fresher.

Kairi said, "I'll go make up the bed and see if I can find some clothing. Make use of the fresher if you wish."

As the small human vanished back up the ladder, Juhani leaned against the bulkhead, taking the broken saber from the remains of her robe, breathing deeply, and trying to make sense of the last few weeks. The fact she was still alive, much less being granted hospitality, was so shocking that the only response she could muster was a confused acceptance.

There was a clanking of the metal ladder and Juhani opened her eyes. It wasn't Kairi, it was some other creature – a furry sentient of a species she had never seen before, so tall he had to stoop as he made his way around the galley.

_"Who are you? What are you doing here? _His speech was little more than a barking howl. The only reason Juhani understood him at all was by searching his mind through the Force.

She hoped he understood Basic. "I am Juhani. Kairi brought me aboard. I mean no intrusion."

_"Kairi found you and brought you here?_ He asked. _"Your coverings are in bad shape, and your fur is tangled. Did she rescue you from slavers?"_

"No, no slavers. We are far from their terrible reach, thank the Force."

_"Are you Jedi, like Kairi is?" _Zaalbar began to rummage in the cabinets, pulling out food and arranging it on the counter.

"Yes. Through the Force, I am able to understand you. I would not be able to comprehend your language otherwise. Pardon me, but I am unfamiliar with your species."

_"Zaalbar, and my species is Wookiee. I'm not surprised that you have not seen one of my kind. Those who take us off-world only see us as animals and brute labor. Because we cannot speak as they do, they think we have no mind."_

"I know very little about Wookiees, but I know well of slavers," Juhani said, a little more bitterly than she liked.

"_Does your life belong to Kairi, then, as mine does?"_

"I...suppose it does."

_"You have found a very strange human, though – an honorable one. She saved Mission and me from what would have been a life of slavery. We are both bound to her now – though Mission is no Wookiee."_

"Fascinating. What do you know of Kairi? Tell me, please."

He spread out the food, taking a large bowl and mixing the contents of the boxes and jars to make some kind of stew. _"She can say little about herself, and I do not ask questions that would pain her. I know her by her actions, and her spirit. If she has taken you into her care, then you must be a worthy person indeed."_

"I…am not certain of that, but I hope I can prove myself to her. I had put myself in a very dark place, chains of my own devising, and she set me free of it. I had even tried to attack her. Now, she takes me into her home and sets a place for me. More kindness than a wretch like me deserves."

_"When the lost find one another, we are lost no more."_ He bowed slightly to Juhani, tucked his supper under his arm, and swung back up the ladder to enjoy it elsewhere.


	7. Reunions and Ruins

**Chapter 6**

**Reunions and Ruins**

Twice in so many short weeks, the Enclave was in a near-uproar. Could it be true - the fallen Jedi Padawan returned to the Order? And the strange new apprentice…she was the one who was able to redeem their lost sister? Indeed both were true. Bastila was among the most astonished, and she knew Kairi longer than most anyone else.

She had been surprised when she sensed Kairi not in the Dantooine Outback, but in the spaceport. At first, she wondered if she had somehow grown frustrated with the training or was attempting to escape the planet. After all, the_ Hawk's_ repairs were mostly finished. No, her bond-mate was calm. What was going on? Bastila didn't bother with full robes, belting her tunic and walking to the spaceport.

Canderous was in the armory, stooped over the workbench and busy fitting a mesh underlay to what had been Sherruk's armor, his cannon leaning against the bench in easy reach. His excuse that he owned half the ship seemed to be a little thin. After all, the Order's resources weren't limitless, but certainly they could buy off a common mercenary. He looked up from his work as she came in.

"Kairi's down in the galley," Canderous said. "Brought a stray with her last night."

"A 'stray?'"

"You heard me, Princess. I'm not interested in socializing, especially since it looks like the stray's Cathar. Last person she'd want to talk with is me, anyway."

"Pardon me, a Cathar?"

"Hadn't realized you were deaf," Canderous said, looking up from his work to give her a head to toe look.

Bastila shuddered and crossed her arms, trying to block as much of his "view" as she could. "Thank you, Mr. Ordo," she said before crossing the armory briskly to exit the other side.

Canderous just shook his head. "What a waste," he muttered before going back to work.

* * *

The galley hatch opened, and Bastila didn't bother with the ladder, simply jumping down into the room, and using a slight pull on the Force to control the fall. Carth, Mission, Kairi, and their "guest" sat around the long table, passing around some local fruit, cheese, and crackers for breakfast.

"Nice trick," said Carth. "Come to get breakfast?"

"I've come to get Kairi, and..." Bastila stopped mid-sentence as she realized who the "guest" was. They'd found her a Service Corps coverall to wear, which was why Bastila didn't recognize her at first. "Juhani?"

Juhani bowed her head, the wooden beads braided into her topknot clicking against one another. "Bastila."

"Wow, you two know each other?" Mission said, cutting off another hunk of cheese.

"She was a student at the Enclave," Bastila said abruptly, not willing to go into more detail. "I thought you had left the Order, left the planet."

"No," Juhani said, her words slurred by her thick accent. "I fled. I hid. Kairi convinced me to return."

Kairi clutched her cup of caffa and edged closer to Juhani. "We got back late. I figured she could at least use a change of clothes, a shower, and a decent meal before turning herself in."

"Turning herself in?" Carth said with a scowl. "What for?"

Juhani sighed. "It is...all right. I should at least admit what I have done. During a sparring session, my master tested me by goading me into rage. I failed the test. I lost control. I...I believe I killed her."

Mission whistled and flinched a little.

Carth did not move, aside from deepening his scowl. "You sure your master wasn't trying to get you killed?"

"Carth! What kind of question is that?!" Bastila cried.

"A valid one," he snapped. "There's a difference between breaking down someone to build them and pushing them too hard and too far. Saul never figured out the difference -"

"So it comes back to him, does it?"

"Stop it," Kairi said. "Whatever it is with the two of you, figure it out. This is about Juhani."

"It was an accident, right?" Mission said. "It's...it's not like you meant to..."

"The deed is done, and I have delayed long enough. Kairi, it is time," Juhani said.

"At least let me walk you there. Come on."

They climbed up the ladder and out of the room, heading for the Council's Chambers.

* * *

They reached the massive wooden door, and Kairi pushed it open for Juhani. Vrook, Vandar, and Dorak were waiting. Zhar was conspicuously absent. Perhaps he had another matter to attend.

"I thank you," Juhani said. "Know that whatever their sentence, I will accept it. Thank you for your guidance. Thank you for carrying me this far."

Kairi hugged Juhani briefly. "There is no emotion..."

"There is peace."

"There is no death..."

"There is the Force." Juhani let go of Kairi and walked inside, the door sealing behind her.

Kairi would have been content to wait there, but after a few minutes, Zhar walked into the waiting area, closing the door. "I heard the news. You have done well, my pupil."

"You said it yourself; those on the Dark Path aren't always lost. And Bastila said that the Jedi do not execute those who have surrendered. It wouldn't have done any good to destroy her – not to her, not to me, not to the grove, and not even to Quatra's memory."

"Quatra is a very...odd woman, and specializes in what we would deem 'difficult' cases. She chose Juhani as Padawan when few others would."

"You mean Quatra is -"

"It was a near thing. Juhani's attack injured her greatly. But it was Quatra's choice to test Juhani this way, and it seems to have made its point. She is both dedicated and true to the ideals of the Order, yet she was still vulnerable to the dark side. As are we all. Though she was saved, do not dismiss what happened to her."

"She'll be relieved to find that out. What do you think will happen to her?"

"My colleagues will decide that. As for you, Kairi? You have passed your test, and proven yourself worthy of joining the Jedi. Congratulations, Padawan. Let me be the first to welcome you as a full-fledged member of our Order!" He clasped Kairi's hand in both of his own.

Kairi swallowed hard. This meant she was fully a Jedi, more so than when she built her lightsaber, more so then the day she granted her reluctant consent to be trained. Finally, she had a place in the universe. So, why was her mouth day and her heart racing?

Being able to understand the emotions of others didn't mean your own were any better sorted out.

* * *

It was only a few hours later that she was summoned into the Council Chambers. That morning's promotion did little to decrease her self-consciousness around the Masters. It was just like the day she walked into their presence the first time. The four Masters stood around their table, and Bastila stood next to her.

Vrook spoke first. "For good or ill, Kairi, you are now a Jedi in full. The time has come for you and Bastila to investigate the dream you shared. The secrets to stopping Malak may lie hidden within the ancient Dantooine ruins you both saw in your visions."

"When we heard of the ruins in your dreams, Master Dorak recognized it as one of a series of ancient structures here on Dantooine. After much study, we believe we have pinpointed which one. It lies to the east of this Enclave," Vandar said.

Dorak pushed several hidden buttons, causing a small holoprojector to activate and show a three-dimensional map of the area with the cluster of ruins in question lit in red. "It's still dangerous to explore. We haven't mapped out the area in any great detail, and the Dark Side energies agitate the local wildlife. Worse, it had been a hideout for the Mandalorian bandits your friends recently dealt with."

"We sent a Jedi to investigate... but he has not returned. Perhaps sending him in the first place was a mistake," said Vandar.

"Who?" Bastila asked.

"Nemo," Vrook said. "He spent most of his career recovering artifacts and history we thought lost. We believed his skills to be a good fit for the task."

"I passed through the edge of that area when I was heading to the grove," Kairi said, pointing to one of the clusters of stones on the far end. "When I touched one of the stones, I got...more of an impression or feeling, actually. Hundreds of people – slaves – crammed into that tiny area."

Zhar rubbed his chin. "Thank you for informing us of this. It does confirm what we suspected. It is both of you, Kairi and Bastila, that must go there. Something in the Force has tied you to that site."

"I'm not entirely sure I understand what the Force is thinking in that regard," Kairi remarked darkly. "Still, if there is something important Revan left behind there, any lead has to be investigated."

Zhar did not physically shrug, but it carried in his voice. "As I have said, Kairi, the Force's Will is hard to discern. We do not know why it has chosen the two of you to investigate any more than it chose you to receive the visions. We can only see the results before us and act accordingly."

Kairi nodded. Even after all these weeks of intensive training, there was so much she wasn't sure she understood. There was little she could do but defer to their greater experience in these matters.

"The Force is guiding you through your visions; it may be that exploring the ruins is a task tied to your destiny. That is why the Council has now decided you both should be the one to investigate this."

"We will investigate the ruins right away, Master Vandar," Bastila said, bowing slightly.

"Remember that you are both equals in the Order's eyes now," Zhar said. "Though you are an experienced Padawan, Bastila, you have not yet undergone the Knight's Trial. You are a team in this mission, and must rely on each other."

"The powerful link between you should aid you in this quest. The secrets to stopping Malak may be hidden within those ruins. You must investigate them and find what Revan and Malak were looking for. Come back to us with whatever you have found. You are dis-"

A loud shout echoed through the halls, cutting off Vandar in mid-speech. "The Jedi are good for nothing but empty words!"

"And that would be Ahlan Matale paying his respects," Zhar said, with as much sarcasm as his station allowed.

The large door leading to the Council Room was flung wide open. Carth – of all people – was attempting to calm down a human man in his sixties. Barging through the open door, the old man strode right up to the Council and started shaking his fist at them.

"The Sandral family is a blight upon Dantooine. They must be punished! I came here seeking results, which are apparently something you cloistered philosophers can't give. I'll see your useless hides leaving this planet – you hear me!"

"The Council will look into this matter, Mr. Matale," Vandar warned. "You must be patient. Your accusations have no proof, and if you are mistaken in your accusation of the Sandrals…"

"Mistaken? My son, Shen, is missing! How can there be any doubt that the Sandrals are to blame?" Ahlan was bright red.

"Perhaps there are other explanations for your son's disappearance," Vrook said.

"It took that Republic soldier outside the door and a mercenary to take care of the Mandalorians. Your kind never lifted a finger! If he will not help and your kind continues to dismiss our demands for justice, then I will take matters into my own hands and rally others to do the same. Let's see how you arrogant parasites like THAT!"

He stormed out, leaving the door wide open and a very embarrassed Carth standing just outside. Vandar looked to the others and nodded. "You may enter, Commander Onasi."

He trudged in like a schoolboy sent to the headmaster. "Uh, sorry. He did come seeking us out, but Canderous…Well, he's not the most diplomatic guy."

"No…No, he isn't," Bastila said. "I'm rather glad I did not witness the attempt he made at diplomacy, either."

"Just what is going on?" Kairi asked.

Bastila explained, "The Sandral and Matale families are two of the wealthiest local landowners, and have never been amicable neighbors. Ahlan Matale, in particular, has filed numerous complaints against what he perceives as Sandral interference. The Sandral family tends not to go to the Council, but take direct action which only seems to infuriate Mr. Matale further."

"Now," Carth said. "It looks pretty close to all out war. The sons of both families are missing, each blames the other, and both sides probably have enough stockpiled for a small army."

Kairi put her hands behind her back. "Masters, would it be permissible for us to help in this matter?"

"As dangerous as the current threat from Darth Malak and the Sith may be, the Jedi cannot abandon our other responsibilities," Vandar said. "And we are not a cloistered order. Our influence and teachings must spread beyond the walls of our academies if they are to do any good."

"Your studies and training are important, but we have promised Ahlan Matale that we will look into his son's disappearance. Should you have time, Padawan, you can investigate this matter," Vrook said.

"The task has its own importance," Bastila said. "It may also serve to divert our minds for a short time…something that carries its own rewards."

Dorak nodded to Carth. "Since your actions against the Mandalorian raiders have brought the respect of the local farmers, Commander, you may accompany Kairi and Bastila if you wish."

Carth shrugged. "I wouldn't mind getting out of the Enclave for a bit. I mean, come on. How bad could it be?"

* * *

True to their standing, the Matale estate was vast, plenty of workers in the fields, plenty of droids helping to sow the crops. It would have been a pleasantly pastoral scene if not for the patrol robots and occasional armed guard on the perimeter, the official reason being the hostile local wildlife. The manor house stood center, painted a pale blue, and part of a sprawling complex that housed employees and servants as well as the family.

The family protocol droid acknowledged their arrival, but did not invite them inside. Instead, Ahlan came out to speak to them, flanked by a phalanx of expensive, and barely legal, security droids. Self-righteous indignation and bitter wrath wrapped around him like an energy shield.

"My protocol droid tells me you're here on behalf of the Council. I was beginning to think my demands for justice had been ignored, though I think your time would be better spent interrogating the Sandrals as to the whereabouts of my son Shen."

"Any information you can give us would be helpful," Kairi said. "Ransom notes, communications, physical evidence..."

"I already told my story to the Council! Why did they not inform you of the facts in this matter? I did not expect such incompetence from the Jedi, but here it goes. Many years ago, I came to Dantooine to escape the crush of humanity on the Core Worlds. Soon after, the Sandrals arrive and they've been a plague on my house ever since. Our disputes are well documented."

"I imagine the story from the Sandrals would sound just about the same, don't you?" Kari sensed a jab of tired frustration from Carth. Before she'd taken up a lightsaber, she would have flashed him a smile. Seeing as she was now on official duty, however, she settled for attempting to keep a straight face. Bastila's annoyance was a more subtle thing, more tired.

Ahlan continued to grandstand. "Yesterday, I discovered several of their droids on my land. They've been destroyed, of course, but I don't want to think about what nefarious plans the Sandrals had for them - maybe my assassination or burning my estate to the ground. I wasn't about to find out. That very night, Shen vanishes. He is my only child - heir to my estate."

"Where was Shen last seen?"

"Isn't it obvious to you damn Jedi? Nurik Sandral had him abducted because he could not destroy me instead. The only resolution possible is the return of my son and punishment inflicted on those land-grabbers."

Kairi clamped down her own frustration. There wasn't a single bit of proof, was there? If there were, Ahlan would have waved it before their noses already. "Thank you, Mr. Matale. I must now speak to Mr. Sandral to find out his version of events."

"And know this, Jedi. I am not going to sit idly by. I will do anything it takes to get justice - including razing the entire Sandral estate!"

"You would be willing to risk open war over this?" Carth asked.

Ahlan folded his arms and edged closest to the nastiest pair of droids. "Is that shocking? I hope it proves my point. The Sandrals started this - not I."

"Here I thought you'd start blaming us if we failed," Carth said. "It seems everyone is responsible for your actions except for you."

The old man turned bright red, and he shook his fist at them. "I don't need to stand here and listen to this impertinence! Until you find Shen, we've nothing further to discuss. I've got plans of my own to make." He turned and stormed back inside his home.

"I'm impressed, Carth," Bastila said. "That interjection was very Jedi-like."

"What can I say? You pick up a few things."

"Unfortunately, Ahlan Matale isn't making idle threats," Bastila said. "He's rash and foolish enough to attempt an assault on the Sandral estate - and all-out war between their families."

"I've seen men like him before, so convinced his hatred is justified that he's willing to do anything." Carth watched the droids and guards patrolling the estate perimeter warily. "And if we don't figure it out quickly, there's going to be a lot of blood."

* * *

The Sandral grounds were approximately equal in size, but they were far less open about their wealth. There were patrol droids and employees to be certain, but the manor was smaller, with fewer outbuildings.

The protocol droid at the door escorted them into an entry hall. Enclosed in tempered glass, it was as much a greenhouse as it was a parlor, appointed with plush benches and verdant, well-tended plants.

Nurik Sandral was a broad-shouldered, dark human about a decade younger than Ahlan Matale. His voice was even and his posture stern, obviously a man who extended formal politeness to strangers, but nothing more than that. "I've been informed by my protocol droid that you wish to speak to me."

"I'm here on behalf of the Jedi Council, investigating the disappearance of Shen Matale," Kairi said. "Ahlan sees to think you know something about it."

"He'd blame me for the wind if he could get away with it. I brought my family here to find peace and safely - not to be harassed and treated like common criminals."

"Jedi are renowned for their fairness and pursuit of justice," Bastila's sharp alto cut in before Kairi could say another word. "There is nothing to fear from us…unless you have something to hide."

Kairi stood back, trying to analyze Nurik. A heavy cloak of his own concern and bitterness, brought on by the long years of quarreling with his neighbor almost concealed him entirely. Yet, Kairi could pierce the cloak. He was hiding something, but it wasn't clear what.

Nurik glowered at her. "My own son is missing as well. Gone two days before Shen Matale, yet I can take care of my own problems. I sent out my patrol droids to find him, and Matale used them for target practice. This is not Jedi business or concern – it is between the Matale family and mine. I trust you can find your own way out."

The door slammed behind him, echoing off the walls.

"That's quite a line. Do you actually believe that?" Carth argued. "Don't you think someone is allowed to value their privacy?"

"Privacy is well and good, but justice must be valued higher. Is it not obvious to you that Mr. Sandral is hiding something?" Bastila said.

"Actually, it is," Carth said. "All I'm saying is that not everyone welcomes the sight of a Jedi with open arms. Better get used to it."

Kairi turned to Bastila. "Yes, he is hiding something, but we won't understand what it is if we take the high-handed approach. He's too proud, and it would get us nowhere." Kairi scowled. "Wait a minute!"

"What is it, Kairi?" Bastila asked.

"Look, over there." On one wall, there was a large case of odd treasures. Bits of stone and fossils, at least one ancient skull, and painstakingly-assembled models of ancient ships and tools. "It appears as though someone here is a digger."

"Casus, Nurik Sandral's only son," Bastila said. "He was a fixture at the Enclave, trying to escape his father. He had a degree in xenoarcheology from one of the better schools on Coruscant, but Nurik insisted he return to help administer the estate. I remember him always trying to get an audience with Dorak to share some discovery or another."

"He may have found something worth Dorak's attention," Kairi said, pointing to a black tablet on the lowest shelf, engraved in the alien script seen through the cluster of ancient ruins. Beneath it was a second language that seemed familiar. "See that script? Some of those characters look like ancient Corellian."

"It may be nothing."

Kairi shook her head. "I was hired for languages, remember? Ugh, this stuff is past even my abilities, but if Casus has been studying the ruins, that's where we should start looking. For all we know, he brought Shen Matale with him."

"He could be in trouble," Carth said. "The place is a maze, and there could be a straggler or two from Sherruk's camp that didn't get the surrender order. The kath hounds nesting there could also take down a man easily."

"The ruins it is," Kairi said. "We find one son, we're liable to find the other."

* * *

They were running out of daylight as they reached the ruins. The whole place felt cold, despite the balmy weather. From a cliff overlooking them, the shape and organization of what had once been a compound the size of a small town could clearly be seen. The centerpiece of it was the ruin that the Masters had pointed out to them, a mass of black stone covered now with soil and grass.

Going back to the ruins, even in broad daylight, did little to ease Carth's nerves. The women seemed to perceive the same thing, shuddering as they navigated a low trail through a hard-to access canyon at the edge of the ruins.

"You sense anyone here?" Carth asked.

"No, Bastila said. "This place has such a strong Dark Side presence that I can barely perceive a thing."

"All these cliffs and ruins made it a great place to hide, and if your Jedi senses are blind here, then little wonder it made such a good hideout for Sherruk."

"Mandalorians have very high Force resistance," Kairi said. "Trying to read Canderous is hardly worth the bother."

Carth snorted. "He'd be a little ticked off at the idea of being 'read' at all." He stopped in mid-step, and pulled his blasters. "Hold on, I hear something."

Kairi and Bastila reached for their lightsabers only an instant before a baying pack of kath hounds swooped down from the hills. They were all raw-boned and patches of fur were bald from thick scars, having been made all the more aggressive by generations of breeding here. The pack snapped and howled, trapping them against the ravine's wall. The leader of the pack was a bruiser – a thick mess of albino skin, three horns on his head, and as tall as Kairi at the shoulder.

The double blade on Bastila's saber sliced into the heart of the pack, Kairi and Carth breaking apart and heading for the edges, splitting the pack three ways and making the beasts easier to take down. Carth scrambled partway up the cliff, all the better to rain fire with his blasters, and cripple the smaller ones. Kairi went straight for the massive albino. Kath were pack animals – and the albino was clearly the pack's leader.

It snarled and reared up on its hind feet, looming over her.

She powered off her blade and did not dodge.

It pawed the earth with its cloven hooves and charged for her. Kairi waited until the twisted, sharpened horns were less than a meter from her chest. There would only be one chance at this.

As the albino surged forward, Kairi sprang into action. Vaulting upwards with a Force-assisted leap, she spun in mid-air and landed on the kath hound's back. Re-igniting her lightsaber, she raised it high and plunged it into the hound's thick neck. The beast let out a single agonized howl as it collapsed, throwing Kairi as it did.

She was still trying to recover her breath as she heard Carth shout for her and open fire on the hound nearest her, cutting it down. That's when another sprang up and tackled him. He tried to block the hound's jaws with his forearm, but his leather coat was flimsy armor at best. His fear surged through her, renewing her strength. Kairi raised her arm and shoved the hound as hard as she could manage. Her telekenetic push sent the hound crashing into one of the remaining walls of black stone with the speed of a swoop, killing it on impact.

It was then that Bastila managed to slice through the last of them. Saber still lit, she ran over to them. "Carth? Kairi?"

"Here," Kairi said, trying to get back on her feet.

Carth rolled up his sleeve to make sure the hound hadn't bitten through. "I'm going to feel that in the morning," he remarked. Pushing the sleeve down, he started to look Kairi over. "How about you? Anything broken?"

"No, I'm all right," she said.

He offered her a hand to help pull her up, and she gladly accepted it. Ah, she had almost forgotten what a pleasant thing it was to be in his presence. No matter where they were, it always felt just a little safer with him.

"The pack seems to have been nesting in that structure over here," Bastila said. "Something's half-buried inside."

The three of them squeezed into what was little more than a decaying cave, the women's lightsabers providing just enough light to see by. Kairi, being smallest, was able to duck into the narrowest part of the den, an area that barely qualified as a crawlspace. There were bones stashed among the stone and tree roots, most of smaller animals.

Most, but not all. Her foot struck something that was too thick to be bone, and too giving to be rock. "There's a body back here."

It took the three of them to pull the corpse out of the kath hounds' den. The man had been young - maybe in his middle twenties, but it was very hard to tell much else due to the extent of mutilation. Hunks of flesh were torn away, eaten as the pack's dinner the night prior. The only identifying feature still visible was a patch on the man's jacket, bearing the Sandral crest.

"Casus Sandral, I'll bet," Carth said. "We'll need to get the local law in here to claim the body. At least give it back to the Sandrals for a proper burial."

Kairi once again crawled to the cave's back. After a few minutes of searching, she pulled out a battered, but functional datapad that had been mostly ignored by the kath hounds. After some coaxing, she managed to get it to power up. "It looks like he never stopped pursuing archeology, even with his family confining him to the planet. His journal has an almost complete map of the ruins. And he's been trying to decipher the writing…"

The first file in the datapad outlined a series of symbols - thirty-eight in all. They seemed to form some sort of alphabet. What particularly caught Kairi's attention was a sketch in the back. Six words formed a circle.

_Air…soil…wood…fire…metal…water…_

_

* * *

_

It was past sundown by the time they arrived at the central ruin. A pathway of broken obelisks led to a towering stone door. Unlike the rest of the stones that littered the area, the intricate details on the door seemed unblemished by time.

"This…I…I remember this from the dream! The patterns are the same…" Almost like she was in a trance, Kairi walked up to the door and lightly brushed her fingers against the runic patterns.

"I don't see any means of opening it," Bastila said. "I would hate to try and carve through it with a lightsaber – even if it were possible."

"Hush!" Kairi said. "I think...I think I have an idea."

It was that horrible feeling creeping up on her again, that feeling of being far too close to the edge of a fall into oblivion. She hated it, as it always felt like she was surrendering control of her body to something or someone else. Using the Force was always like this in some way or another, and these very strong suggestions from it were the worst.

She fought down the panic. As much as she dreaded the feeling, and always wondered if she would ever surface again, there was as much choice in using it here as there had been on Taris – none. Kairi took a deep breath and plunged.

In her profound trance, there was no self, there was no "Kairi." All that she moved, breathed, _knew_ came from the depths of that endless chasm in her mind. The Force rushed into the emptiness like ocean water, filling and changing it, but it was still the grave of her former life. She was barely aware of Carth and Bastila. She could see what was around her, but could not take conscious action.

Her fingers stirred of their own accord, tracing the lines and patterns. Hidden among them, almost, but not quite invisible were a series of panels. She pushed the sequence, and the door slid open. She strode into the dark interior, still under the dreamlike state.

Carth quickly glanced to Bastila. She shrugged, indicating she had no idea what was pulling Kairi in, but they wasted no time in taking glowrods from their pouches and following her.

The ruin was far bigger on the inside than it appeared to be on the outside. It was built of the same kind of stone the rest of the complex was, and inscribed with the same incomprehensible characters. The hair stood up on the back of Carth's neck. This place was bad news. He was walking into someone else's bad dream at the least, and possibly following the path walked by two Sith Lords. Top it off with being an ordinary guy, and therefore completely clueless about the arcane things Jedi took for granted.

Kairi looked around at the heavy stone columns, the high roof. Her voice was faint, almost sleepy. It only seemed to unsettle him more. "This is the place, Bastila. This is where the secret was…"

"Yes, yes…" Bastila said. "I can see that clearly now."

"Kairi, are you all right? Kairi?" He'd seen that look on her face one too many times on Taris. She looked more like a broken droid than a person. Carth wanted to take her shoulders and shake her out of it.

Bastila held up a hand to silence Carth. "It's all right, Kairi. Keep going. We're behind you."

_Deep breath, soldier. Remember, let the Jedi do their job, don't pretend to understand it, and keep your mouth shut. _That was the usual party line in the Fleet when it came to the saber-swingers. Creator of the Universe, he hated the party line.

This was only the opening room of a larger complex. The ruins in this valley could have been all one building at one point, but cave-ins blocked most of the tunnels. They came to what could have been the central chamber of the structure. A spidery droid that resembled a metal kinrath stood guard in the room. They had barely stepped forward when a loud voice boomed from the droid, saying what sounded like a series of grinding and whistles.

Kairi walked closer. "Hello."

Another burst of gibberish from the machines, this one sounding like hisses and coughs.

"What language is that?" asked Kairi, her voice flat. "Try another."

The droid responded in another unfamiliar language.

"The phonemes are unfamiliar," Bastila said. "Maybe it doesn't understand."

_"I can reproduce any of the languages spoken by the slaves of the Builders."_

"Selkath! I understood that," Bastila said. "It's…it's an archaic dialect of it. I can barely but it's definitely Selkath."

"So why is a droid stuck in a Dantooine ruin speaking Selkath?" Carth asked.

Kairi spoke the translation in Basic as the droid recited it in Selkath. _"Communication was vital to ensure that the slaves constructed this temple according to the wishes of the Builders. But you are not of the slave species. You are like the ones who came before…neither Builders or Slaves."_

"It must be referring to Revan and Malak," Bastila said. "It's possible they encountered this droid while exploring the ruins."

_"I am the Overseer. The Builders programmed me to enforce discipline among the slaves while this monument to the power of the Star Forge was constructed. At project completion, the slaves were executed and I was programmed to serve should a Builder return in search of knowledge of the Star Forge."_

"What is this Star Forge?" Bastila asked.

_"The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of the Infinite Empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest."_

"What kind of tool?" Bastila asked.

_"The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of the Infinite Empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest."_

"Great," Carth said. "It's either not programmed with the answer or not going to tell us."

"The Star Forge sounds like some kind of weapon, though it could be anything…" Bastila paced around the droid, examining it. "Revan and Malak certainly wanted to find it."

"A Forge..." Kairi said. Her eyes were still blank, her posture unnaturally stiff."Where things are built. Weapons...Ships..."

"Maybe. It would certainly explain how the Sith were able to amass a fleet so quickly, but I suspect that this Star Forge is more than a mere factory. Kairi, how long has the droid been here?"

_"I have been here ever since the completion of this monument. In all this time, no Builder has returned to seek information about the Star Forge. My chronological circuits have marked over ten revolutions of this system's outermost planet since the Builders left."_

"Ten revolutions?" Bastila was stunned. "That's more than 20,000 years! If this is true, then this empire and this droid are over 5000 years older then the Republic itself! There has to be a mistake in the calculations."

_"There is no mistake. The Builders constructed my circuitry using the technology of the Star Forge itself. My calculations are infallible. The Builders are the great masters of the galaxy, the conquerors of all worlds, the rulers of the Infinite Empire and the creators of the Star Forge."_

Carth scowled. "I've heard a few of the Corellian guys in the Fleet throwing around legends about ancient beings assembling their star system. I figured it was just the Corellians being Corellians. Get a couple beers into them, and out come the tall tales."

"In the years before the Republic, the Hutts were a dominant force in the galaxy, but they did not build an empire. In fact, I know of no species that would fit with this information," said Bastila. "These Builders must be an extinct people, though it's strange that there's no record of existence. Even the Jedi archives make no mention of them or this Star Forge."

_"Now that the slaves are gone, my purpose is to aid those who seek knowledge of the Star Forge if they are worthy The ones who came before you, the ones like you - not Builders, not slaves - sought knowledge of the Star Forge. They proved themselves worthy. They discovered the secrets of the Star Forge locked beyond the door behind me. The temple's own protections will destroy the unworthy if they fail in their quest for knowledge. Now it is your time. Within the chamber ahead, those who understand the will of the Builders can unlock their secrets and open the doors. Those who fail will be destroyed by the power of the temple itself."_

"Revan and Malak unlocked the sealed door and uncovered the secrets of the Star Forge. Now, Malak must be using this device to fuel his conquest of the Republic. We must find out what they uncovered - unseal those doors and learn more. The Republic is depending on us," Bastila said.

Kairi turned and walked over to the sealed door. Once again touching an incomprehensible pattern of hidden tiles, it slid open for her, the ancient mechanism groaned with protest as it did. Carth and Bastila followed her into the room. The walls were decorated with bas-relief carvings of plants and animals, marvelously intact for their age. Even the floor boasted a beautiful mosaic in the form of a circle. Kairi walked to its center.

"Kairi?" Carth asked. She had that glass-eyed expression on her face and her posture was perfectly still. He'd seen it on Taris, but this was the longest she'd ever been under like this.

No answer. It was like she could not hear him, though he stood next to her. He waved his hand in front of her face. She didn't even blink. Bastila glowered at him like he was being deliberately silly.

The door slammed shut with an ominous crash, sealing the three of them inside. Carth and Bastila ran to the door, but quickly realized that they would not be able to open it. That's when they got a better look at the debris on the floor. The chamber was littered with bones, some animal, but some sentient. One of the corpses, propped up near what looked like an altar, seemed recent. His flesh seemed to be half-melted from his face, and his hands were like ground meat. The corpse wore what looked to be a grey Jedi robe.

"Nemo," Bastila said. "The Council sent him to investigate and it cost him his life."

"Looks like some kind of chemical weapon caused..." Carth started sniffing the air. "Oh, kriff."

"What?"

"It's not just the body I'm smelling. There's some kind of gas being pumped in."

Bastila sprang to her feet and started looking over the carvings on the walls. "Hidden vents. We won't have much time unless we can find a way out."

Carth used the altar to try and lift himself up, accidentally pressing a hidden panel. The altar wasn't just decoration! Like the droid, it was an ancient computer lying dormant. The carvings on the wall and the mosaic on the floor blazed to life with color.

"Carth, you..."

"Get over here, Bastila. This thing's powered up and trying to do something, but hell if I know what!"

Bastila ran over and tried pushing panels on the computer, trying to see if something – anything would work. The gas was now becoming obvious, a burning haze on her skin as her eyes watered. "I'm trying. There's got to be one of these panels that work."

Just then, a screen lit and one of the panels folded open. It looked the right size for a datapad. Not certain if anything else would work, she took out Casus Sandral's journal and inserted it.

The voice that echoed through the chamber via some unseen speaker system was heavily accented, but it certainly was recognizable as Basic. "Welcome, Seeker. Walk the sequence that generates life."

"Wind or air." Kairi walked through the tiles, interpreting the pictures on their surface. "Wind shapes the soil…Soil gives life to wood…wood fuels fire…fire purifies metal…metal cools and attracts condensation …water…which in turn purifies air…"

The walls glowed green "Breaking Life Seal." Then, the carvings went from green to red. "Now, walk the sequence that ends in death," the computer said.

Kairi's steps were mechanical, but deliberate. "Fire consumes air, water consumes fire. Wood conquers water, and metal cuts wood. Soil traps metal. And metal becomes fire when it erupts, poisoning air."

"Breaking Death Seal," reported the computer.

Carth and Bastila saw the mosaic on the floor start to turn, the inscriptions glowing as long dead programming took effect. The gas vents shut off, and a door opened on the northern wall. Bastila was looking extremely rattled, Carth noticed smugly. Well, good to know he wasn't the only one that was shaken up by this place. Kairi's blank eyes and droid-like movements were still incredibly unsettling. He wanted to get whatever it was the Jedi were after, get out of range, then use a pile of thorium charges to level this place.

The chamber past the second door boasted the same mosaic as the one in the testing chamber. It was giving off a faint glow as if waiting for them to approach. Bastila strode up to the platform and motioned for Carth to follow, snapping on her mask of calm superiority. He did so…reluctantly. His stomach was knotted. Bastila merely put her hands behind her back and waited. The platform descended to the lowest level of the catacombs.

The object waited for them at the bottom of the catacombs – a tripod on tripod design made of black, evil-looking metal. Kairi touched one of the curved metal spires of the larger tripod, and it bloomed like a giant metal flower - like it had for Malak and Revan. It truly was breathtaking - a sphere of gold, blue, and black. The image seemed to hang slowly before them, the sphere and the constellations of gold stars within rotating gently.

As soon as it opened, the spell over Kairi seemed to break, and it was like being hit with a bucket of cold water. She cried out and stumbled, clutching her head. Carth caught her before she fell.

"Easy there. What…what came over you?"

She looked up at him and shook her head, clearly as baffled by her own behavior as he had been. Bastila was more fascinated by the artifact.

"This…this must be what Revan and Malak found when they entered this temple," Bastila said, amazed. "This must be where their journey down the Dark Side began."

"It…I'm not certain what this is," Kairi admitted, breathing heavily. Carth still had his arm around her, and she wasn't willing to be let go just yet. Great Force, she had been so far gone that she thought she would never come back to herself.

_Breathe in...breathe out..._She focused on Bastila. Surrounded by the darkness, she felt their bond, almost like a thick blue rope of brilliant blue. Yet...there was something else. It could not be called weaker or stronger, only...different. She hadn't noticed it before, as it was something that had always been there.

Bastila interrupted the thought. "Perhaps it has something to do with your visions. You must have done it to yourself, attuning your being to this alien place. Since you've not had years of training, it must have been disconcerting." She cleared her throat. "Now, as for what this is…it appears to be some sort of interstellar navigational chart. Revan and Malak must have used this to find the Star Forge."

"So, what is this Star Forge, Bastila?" Carth asked. "Your theory?"

"I…I don't know, but Revan and Malak were very interested in finding it. Perhaps the Council can tell us more, but I think this map is key to finding it, whatever it is. We can follow in their tracks using this map and find the Star Forge ourselves. But we must be wary - they may have lain traps or concealed what they found.""

"Let me have a look. I'm the pilot here," Carth said. He took a datapad out of his jacket and started recording the information, cross-referencing it with the star charts he already had. "I recognize a bit of this. Most of it…it's planets I've never seen before. The map's no good, though: incomplete hyperspace coordinates, corrupted data. Not to mention that there's nothing here on where this so-called 'Star Forge' might be."

Bastila was pointing out planets on the chart that were lit up in blue. "See this world here? That looks to be Korriban, the Sith world. If that's Korriban, then here's Kashyyyk…that's Tattooine. Here's Mannan…"

"Maybe the worlds marked on the map have more clues," Kairi suggested.

"I was thinking that, too," Bastila said. "This map might not be able to take us to the Star Forge, but I know Revan and Malak visited Korriban at least once. Perhaps they discovered something more there. In fact, they may have found a part of the puzzle on each of these worlds." Bastila looked away from the map to Kairi. "We find all the pieces, and they might lead us to the Star Forge…and some way to destroy it."

"That's quite a supposition," Carth said. "What if you're wrong?"

"And what if I'm right? We can't ignore this. Finding the Star Forge may very well be the key to stopping Malak and the Sith! We'll inform the Council at once of what we've uncovered. They can decide our next course of action, though I suspect our task has only begun."

Bastila was deep in thought, still studying the artifact. Carth, however, only looked calm. Beneath his composed facade, he was impatient, anxious.

"Carth, are you all right?" Kairi asked

He shook his head and looked at her, astonished. "Me? You were the one that went catatonic."

"You've seen me do that before, like during the swoop race."

"Not like that! Kairi, please...I don't ever want to see that again. What happened?"

"I…I don't know," she admitted. "It was like…like something else took over when I walked in that room. I don't know what…"

"That is none of your concern, Carth," Bastila's voice held an edge that made Kairi's teeth ache. "And you'd do well to leave the matter be."

"I respect you, Bastila, but you've been as close-mouthed as the rest of the Council. If you aren't going to talk to me, then maybe someone else will. If there's one thing I don't like, it's being left out of the loop."

"Left out?" Bastila said.

"Yeah. Left out of the loop, strung along, not being told anything – especially when it damn near gets us all killed. It's really starting to irritate me. For one thing, I want to know what the Jedi Council told you about this. It's not like they'll say anything to someone like me."

Kairi spoke up. "I'll tell you what I can. I don't understand much of this, either. The Council sent Bastila and me to investigate the ruins and find these Star Maps or whatever else Revan was after."

"You're a neophyte Padawan – one they took and trained despite you being an adult, and who's only had a few weeks of training. And they send you half-trained into a deadly situation. Does any of this strike you as strange, Kairi, or did you go all 'blind obedience' once you picked up that lightsaber?"

"You take orders from superior officers, don't you?" Bastila was still talking down to him, and Kairi sent a silent warning.

"I trust my superior officers, mostly. The Jedi Council…they're stringing us along."

"Trust in your superiors? Such as Saul Karath?"

Rage blasted from him and his hand curled into a fist. He was about to lash out when Kairi made a gesture and sent them both stumbling back.

"Stop this!" Her soft voice was strained. "When you fight like this…"

"Your empathy, and the bond," Bastila said. "Of course. You can shield against everyone else, but not me…the door is always open."

"No," Kairi said. "It's _both of you_."

This stunned them silent. Bastila's worry shot down their bond as she looked over at Carth.

"It's nothing," Kairi said. "You were the first person I remember, Carth, and so you're a... constant. On Taris, I couldn't control my empathy much, so I tended to focus on you when there was too much noise."

"You're reading my mind? Without me _knowing_?" Carth was all black fury now, ready to explode in anger.

"No, Carth. I can't read your mind. I can't read anyone's mind – just their emotions. With you, Mission, and Canderous, I can sense where you are and your emotional state. That's _all_. With Bastila, it's different. There's a connection in the Force itself. Neither of us really knows the 'how' or 'why' of it; it just is. The connection is strong enough to induce and share Force visions. We had one about Revan and Malak investigating this structure. That's why the Council ordered us to investigate these ruins and find whatever they did."

Carth looked between Bastila and Kairi. "All this over a dream?"

"Vision, Commander - a Force-induced vision. Why does this seem so strange to you?"

"You so aptly put it earlier - I'm no Jedi. I certainly don't like the idea of one having a back door into my brain. I'm being treated like a mushroom here - kept in the dark and fed with manure, and damn it - I've about had it!"

"Carth!" Kairi shouted. "How many times must I say it, and how often do I have to prove it? I am not going to betray you. Just because I'm a Jedi now does not mean I will be any less honest with you than I have been all along!"

"We'll just see about that won't we?" His anger changed subtly, turning more inward. He shook his head, shrugging with frustration. "Look, Kairi. I...I didn't mean it that way. I want to get to Saul, not…No…Forget it."

"If Bastila's theory is right, then we could be looking at a way to find and destroy the Sith's hidden base - maybe the source of the fleet they've sent against the Republic. Regardless of what got us here, we are looking right at something Revan and Malak were desperate to find."

He seemed to cool off a bit when thinking about that. "All right. You file your report about this with the Council, and I'll follow up with Admiral Dodonna. Right now, anything we can dig up on the Sith will help all of us."

* * *

Using their comlinks, they radioed for scouts from the Enclave to retrieve the body of Casus Sandral. As the trio returned to the Enclave, they saw the crowds outside. Some wept at the news, others shook their heads. Apparently, the younger Sandral was a well-liked and well-known member of the local community.

Nurik Sandral was sitting on one of the benches outside the enclave, heartsick. Kairi stepped forward and put a hand on the grieving man's shoulder.

"Casus is dead," he said to her. "Just as I feared, but kath hounds?"

"Yes, Mr. Sandral," Kairi said. "I was the one to find his body. They apparently cornered him in a ravine as he was searching the ruins."

"I was so certain the Matales were responsible," Nurik said, shaking his head. "Ah, but it changes nothing. My own son is dead - why should I shed one tear about the disappearance of my bitter enemy's son?"

"Typical," said Bastila with a heavy sigh. "Anything to continue the feud which has become so customary to your people."

Kairi glanced sharply over her shoulder at her Bastila before turning back to Nurik.

"I must ask you for something, though it is difficult for me," he said. "My son had a diary- his private, personal thoughts. Now that he's gone, I've nothing to remember him by. I'm prepared to offer a reward for it."

Bastila took the datapad from the inner pocket of her robe and handed it to Nurik. "We need no reward for this task. In a way, Casus saved our lives today. His datapad contained critical information about the ruins, information that rescued us from a trap that was left behind."

"Yes," Kairi said. "He did a very good job of it, and nearly deciphered the language, too. He studied the ruins extensively, despite the dangers. Not even the Jedi have studied them to the extent he did. The Council would be interested in his notes."

Nurik turned the datapad over in his hands. "Casus wanted to be a digger, ever since he was a little boy. To think anything would become of his ventures into the ruins...he would be delighted." He shook his head. "I'd still trade all I have for just another few moments with my boy."

Nurik Sandral's grief was chaotic, potent blend spiked with anger, rage, and a deadly jealousy. It was an unstable and very unsettling combination. Carth looked upon Nurik with sympathy, and painful recognition. From Bastila, was a certain hollowness…almost homesickness. The crowd has its own muted emotions, echoes of strong emotions from those in the center. There was another presence, though, one that seemed to be calling to her. She looked up to see a lithe young woman, obviously a Sandral from her sharp features, half-hidden in the shadows. Kairi left Nurik's side and half-ran to catch up with the woman as she hurried behind a corner.

They were alone. She looked around before speaking. "You were one of the Jedi who came by my house earlier, are you not? Looking for Shen Matale?"

"Yes. Who are you, madam?"

"My name is Rahasia. Nurik is my father. He's not been himself since Casus disappeared. He's gone mad with grief, and he's not thinking rationally. With Casus dead, I am more afraid than ever!"

"I do not understand…"

"My father is a good man. When my mother died, he raised Casus and me by himself. We came to Dantooine after that. I think he was trying to get as far as he could from anything that reminded him of her." Rahasia continued. "But Ahlan Matale and my father have been arguing ever since we settled here. To hear my father tell it, Ahlan is a rich bully who believes his wealth gives him the right to step over everyone else, and that he stands up to Ahlan because no one else will. I just…don't judge him too harshly. You must understand that he's been under a terrible strain. I have no wish to disobey him, and I love my father dearly, but there are matters where his authority is not absolute."

"What do you know of Shen Matale?"

She took a deep breath and sighed before speaking, pinching the bridge of her nose as though to keep from crying. "My father did kidnap him. He's being held prisoner in our home. Now that Casus has been found dead, my father might take it out on Shen…"

Kari focused on Rahasia, feeling the worry, certainly. There was something else, though, something soft with a scent like starflowers. Kairi remembered something like it when she showed Juhani the gold clasp. "You and Shen - the two of you are in love."

Rahasia's eyes opened wide. "I had heard that the Jedi could read minds, but…"

Kairi hung her head, blushing a bit. "Not thoughts, but I could often sense emotions even before I joined the Order. How is that the two of you…?"

"Shen and I…we…well, we'd been taught by our families to hate each other, just for being related to our fathers. But one day in town, away from our fathers, we met. Shen is so charming and kind. He didn't care I was a Sandral, and I didn't care he was Matale. We accepted each other, no reservations."

Kairi smiled, trying to imagine what it must have been for Rahasia.

"We talked and met aver the months and we did fall in love. I even introduced him to Casus, and they were starting to become friends. Then, this whole horrible tragedy had to happen…"

Kairi reached out and touched Rahasia's shoulder. "I will do what we can, Rahasia. I swear it to you."

She slipped a keycard to Kairi. "There's an unguarded door in the back. This key will let you in. Rescue him and make your escape through there. Please, hurry and prevent my father from doing something he'll regret forever. You're his only hope."

"All right. Wait here at the Enclave," Kairi opened one of the doors leading to the Jedi quarter. Go in, and explain the situation to one of the Jedi – tell them Kairi Niko sent you. I'll bring him to you."

Rahasia nodded, vanishing through the door. Kairi looked around again, and listened through to Force to make certain they hadn't been heard. Running up to Carth and Bastila, she pulled them aside. "Come on," she said. "We've got to head back to the Sandral house – now!"

"But what of the Council? We have to tell them what we found!" Bastila insisted.

"The Council can wait a few hours. There's a life at stake right now – Shen Matale's life." Kairi shook her head. "We need to get to a speeder. I'll explain on the way."

* * *

Bastila used her code to check out a speeder, and Carth drove. The more Kairi told of the story, the more Carth stepped on the accelerator.

"You mean, the Sandral's daughter is in love with the Matale's son?" Carth asked.

"Looks like the Force has picked a time-honored method of solving the families' argument," Kairi said. "Provided we get Shen out of there and convince the patriarchs not to do anything stupid."

"Easier said than accomplished," Bastila said dryly.

They pulled up just short of the perimeter. With Nurik and Rahasia at the Enclave and planning a funeral, the house and estate were mostly empty, save for a few guard droids on patrol. The droids were easily crippled, though. Of the first Force abilities Kairi had been taught was disrupting droid electrical systems. With the droids disabled, the trio was able to sneak about with relative impunity.

Once inside the manor itself, they were faced with a series of long corridors, the mansion far too large to search room-by-room. Kairi gripped Bastila's hand.

"Bastila, hold on. I'm going to try and find him." One of the advantages of a Force Bond was the ability to pull on it, transferring strength from one to another. As she touched Bastila, her ability to "see" in the Force became much more clear and exact. Among the few servants still tending to the house, there was a muted presence at the end of a far hallway that didn't feel like it belonged there.

Shen.

Letting go of Bastila's hand, Kairi gestured to Carth and Bastila to follow. When they found the door in question, it was sealed shut with a heavy lock. Of course, Kairi had picked up a few tricks from Mission when it came to disabling those.

A guest room had been hastily converted to a prison, and sitting on the bed was a young man that was the very image of a younger Ahlan Matale. "Who are you? What do you want of me? Are you working for my father?"

"I'm Kairi, I'm here to get you out of here."

"Rescue me? NO…it's too dangerous. I don't know what he'll do to Rahasia. She's been begging her father to release me since this happened. I leave, she'll be left to face her father's wrath."

"Rahasia is at the Enclave now. I told her to wait for you there. She gave me the keycard." Kairi took a deep breath. "Shen, trust me on this. You will both be safe at the Enclave."

"She…is she that willing to turn her back on home and family to save me? Who could imagine a Sandral doing that for a Matale like me?"

Carth shrugged. "Why not? The two of you sound like you're willing to bury the hatchet rather than pick it up. Can't disagree with that."

"I was taught to hate them - the Sandrals, but I saw Rahasia in the city, and I knew our fathers were wrong," Shen got a dreamy smile on his face. "She was like an angel - white silks and perfume, seeming to float rather than walk. I don't know what else to say - I love her. We've been seeing each other in secret, but our fathers..."

Kairi sighed. "Well, by the time this is over, they'll have to know the truth. Come on…before Nurik returns!"

* * *

After smuggling him to the speeder and an equally hasty return trip, they sneaked Shen in through a non-public entrance. Taking him to the guest quarters, they opened the door where Rahasia had been waiting. His eyes lit up as he ran to her, and they met in a tight embrace and a very joyful kiss. Kairi could not help but smile.

"Shen…"

Shen pulled her closer, rubbing her back. "It's okay, Rahasia. It's going to be okay. No matter what."

She had been crying, her eyes red and puffy. "Oh, Shen…Casus is dead. The kath hounds killed him on one of his digs."

He looked horrified at the news, only hugging her tighter. "Oh, no…Oh, I'm sorry, baby. So sorry…but I did promise him something, okay? I promised him that I'd take care of you, whatever happened. And I still want to make good on that. This is probably a really bad time to ask this, Rahasia, but I'd live or die for you. Marry me."

"Oh, Shen…You know the answer already!"

Another kiss, and Kairi felt her eyes sting as she silently blessed the young lovers.

Carth's voice was quiet, bittersweet. "Good luck, both of you. May you know the joy that I once did."

He turned away and started back for the _Hawk_. Job was done, the fallout would happen, and the look on Shen Matale's face was too painfully familiar for words, bringing back memories that once were sweet – that should have stayed sweet. Now, it was like drinking acid – sharp and bitter as it burned through him.

He'd thought he was able to walk away unnoticed, but he heard the quiet footsteps behind him. It figured she would follow.

"Go away, Kairi."

"Carth, what is wrong? I can sense your sorrow…your pain…"

He whipped around, glaring at her. Just another kriffing Jedi she was now - offering platitudes and empty words about things she would never understand. Bittersweet recollection…twisted into grief…into vengeance…and all leaving a horrible emptiness. He imagined pressing those black emotions into a ball and hurling it at her.

_Is that what you wanted, Kairi? You're so determined to get under my skin…well? Like what you see?_

He saw her pale, holding up her hand like she was blocking an incoming punch. "Stop it. Why are you acting like this?"

"Why? Because I don't want you in my head. I don't want you saying you understand things about me or how I'm feeling when you don't and you can't."

"If I've done that, I'm sorry," she said. "But, please, I am still Kairi. I'm still the person you knew on Taris. I'm not your enemy."

"And they have to go and make a damn Jedi of you…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked. "This has given me a chance, Carth. A duty, a calling…"

"They're dealing from both ends of the deck when it comes to you, Kairi. Even I can tell that. They have you shut up in here…you realize this is the first time for weeks that we've had a chance to talk alone?"

"Yes," she admitted. "My training has kept me busy."

"And kept you from asking questions," he pointed out. "Think about it. You still have no idea who or what you really are – just a datapad and Bastila's word for it. Canderous noticed you handle a sword like a Jedi when he saw you fight on Taris, and I heard the Council bickering after you had your first audience with them."

"Are you calling the Jedi untrustworthy?"

_Hell, yes. I'm calling them untrustworthy. Sit on their butts when we're under attack, talk in riddles, have all that power and absolutely _zero_ checks on it... _"I told you on Taris, Kairi…I don't trust anymore. Bastila and the Jedi have an agenda. Don't kid yourself otherwise."

"Despite your feelings," she said, "I still consider you my friend. Please, you'll return to the Fleet soon, and I'll be assigned somewhere with Bastila. I don't want our last conversations with one another to be like this."

Carth looked at her. She had the small and strong body, the same dark eyes he could too easily lose himself in. He could almost believe it…until he saw the sand colored robes and the lightsaber at her belt. "You don't know how badly I want that to be true, Kairi."

He fought with himself as to whether or not to say more to her, but silence won. He left the Enclave as though fire had been set to his heels, hurrying back to the ship. He had to leave this planet soon…had to leave these _Jedi _soon. A man drive himself nuts in this place.


	8. Parting Ways

**Chapter 7**

**Parting ways**

Rahasia and Shen had been kept at the Enclave until their fathers arrived. Of course, when the fathers arrived, a brawl threatened. However, the Jedi were no strangers to hot blood and old feuds, and the children held their ground with the stubbornness bred into them. Playing to both men's pride, and the fact that their children had already made their decision, the howls of "My child won't marry your child!" soon broke into a bidding war over where to hold the wedding!

In the end, the Enclave was decided upon as the site, as it was neutral ground. Indeed, there had been little joy recently, so any small blessing was gladly welcomed.

Of course, Kairi, Carth, and Bastila were there as official witnesses. Carth and Kairi particularly welcomed the sight, even if the wedding was bittersweet in the wake of Casus's death. Casus, however, was being remembered as a hero now - his notes on the Dantooine ruins copied to the Jedi archives.

The rest of the _Ebon Hawk_ crew was there as well. T3-M4 was happily put to use serving drinks at the reception. Canderous was on his best behavior. Weddings were a serious affair among his people, especially ones that tied together feuding clans as to make both stronger.

Surprisingly enough, one of the guests was Elsie Montagne. She came on the arm of Samnt Dolar, one of the Matale guards. Apparently, she had run off in grief over the droid and crossed the Matale fence near his patrol route. He was about to shoot her as an intruder, but realizing it was a distraught woman, instead took her home. A widower himself, he was glad for the company.

A local custom among the farmers was to serve wedding pastries to all the guests. Out of them, five had objects baked inside. Superstition held that the five objects told the future of the ones who found them. Elsie's pastry held a silver charm, indicating she would be next to wed. One of the Sandral servants found a button, indicating he would soon welcome new life. Indeed, it did seem to be the case, seeing his heavily pregnant wife. Third was a gold charm, indicating wealth. One of the visiting farmers got that one. Master Dorak almost cut his teeth on a polished piece of wood - foretelling a good education.

When Kairi bit into hers, she felt a small stone in her mouth. Spitting it out, she gazed at it. It was one of the local cave crystals - a soft blue one. She held it up to the light, wondering at how it seemed to glow from within.

Shen smiled as he caught Kairi examining it. "Ah, yes, Lady Jedi. The crystal means that you'll count your wealth in friends."

* * *

"A piece to a puzzle," Kairi explained, showing the information downloaded from the Star Map to Vandar, Vrook, and Dorak. "An incomplete Star Map was in the temple, as was an ancient droid that spoke of a race called the Builders. It was able to confirm Revan and Malak's visit years earlier. It also mentioned something called a Star Forge, though what it is…we don't know."

"This may be the source of the Sith fleet," Bastila elaborated. "If they were able to find a weapons plant, an ancient alien one, it could explain much about the strange design of their ships."

Vandar looked up to address them, and they knelt in respect for the diminutive Master. "You both have done well in discovering the Star Map hidden in the ancient ruins, but there is more we must ask you to do against Malak and the Sith. We know that victory over them will not come through martial might, but through cunning and strategy. Therefore, the Council has a mission for you."

Dorak explained. "I've consulted the archives in an effort to discern the nature of this 'Star Forge,' but all my efforts have been in vain."

"Still, we are in agreement," Vrook told Kairi. "The Star Forge must be found. Revan and Malak sought it out when they began their tragic fall. It is surely a powerful tool of the Dark Side."

"The Star Map in the ruins showed you four planets, but it was incomplete in that it did not show you the location of the Star Forge itself. We believe that there are Star Maps like it on other planets, pieces of the larger puzzle. Find the Star Maps on Kashyyyk, Manaan, Tattooine, and Korriban and we believe they will lead you to the Star Forge," Vandar said.

"I'll do as you ask," Kairi answered.

"The Jedi numbers have been ravaged by Sith assassins and defections to Malak's cause, but we recognize the importance of this mission. If we sent a company of Jedi Knights to aid you, it would surely draw the attentions of Malak, and doom your efforts to failure."

"We're to undertake this task alone?" Bastila asked.

"No," Vandar stated. "Secrecy is our best defense against the Sith, but we would not be so foolish as to send you alone. The bond you share may be the key to unraveling the mysteries uncovered by Revan. Juhani has asked to accompany you as well. After long consideration, we have decided to grant her request."

Kairi smiled, glad that she would at least have another familiar face coming along. Action would be a good thing for Juhani, giving her time and distance she could use in order to regain faith in herself.

"Juhani nearly fell to the Dark Side," Vrook said stern as always. "Perhaps her presence will serve as reminder to you of the dangers present in that path."

"After weighing our options, we have decided not to repeat the mistake we made in using the_ Endar Spire_. A Republic military vessel is a tempting target, and there are too few to spare, even for this mission. The _Ebon Hawk's_ repairs are complete, and the hyperdrive is faster than anything we have."

"What about the crew?" Kairi said.

Vandar said, "They are welcome to accompany you, if they wish. Their skills and talents will be useful, I am certain. Remember that secrecy and discretion, however, are key to this task. The true nature of this assignment must not reach Malak's ears."

"We will not fail you," Bastila said.

"Leave when you wish; the sooner, the better." Vrook said. "The longer you wait, the stronger Malak becomes. But first a warning: the Dark Side's lure is strong and difficult to resist. It fear this mission to find these Star Maps may lead you down an all-too-familiar path."

"The fate of the galaxy may be in your hands, Padawans. We pray you are up to the challenge. Go now, and may the Force be with you."

* * *

Juhani, having rebuilt her lightsaber and assigned a change of robes, approached the _Ebon Hawk_ with determination. She had discussed this with Belaya and meditated on it for long hours before summoning enough bravery to petition the Masters. She had expected to be turned down. It surprised her when her request was granted.

However, there were...complications.

The loading ramp lowered, and standing at the top of it was a powerful-looking human man. He had a small cannon strapped to his back, and his sleeveless shirt bared his tattoo. Juhani recognized the symbol.

"Mandalorian? What are you doing here?"

"That's 'Canderous' to you. What am I doing here? I own half the ship. That's what I'm doing here. What about you, Jedi? Could ask the same thing."

Her voice lowered, and her blood began to boil. "I am assigned to the mission led by Bastila Shan. The Jedi have commandeered this vessel."

"Not really," Canderous said. "But they asked...nicely...if they could use it. Since I'm between jobs, I figured 'why not?'"

"You've no stake in this. Your kind has no loyalty to the Republic or the Sith," Juhani argued.

"True, but I fought for the Sith as a boy, when Qel-Droma had us by the _shebse_. The Jedi and the Republic handed those _shebse_ to us twice. Might be interesting to fight _for_ them this time."

She sniffed with contempt. "Merely a glutton for blood. The galaxy would be better off had you all died."

"And maybe the galaxy doesn't need _your_ kind, either. Now, I'll make this simple – I was here first, and I ain't leaving. Live with it, or turn tail and head back to your Masters."

Juhani briefly imagined shoving her lightsaber through his gut, but took a deep breath instead and muttered the Code. No, he could accuse her of a lot of things, but she would not accept being called a coward. She marched right up the loading ramp and past him.

* * *

Carth sat in the Ebon Hawk's cockpit, running some pre-flight checks and tests on the systems. The door to the cockpit slid open and Bastila walked in, sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

"Commander, what are you still doing here? Aren't you going back to the Fleet?"

"I wish," he said, eyes still on the readout. "But Admiral Dodonna and Master Vandar cut a deal. Remember that I was put on the _Spire_ as a liaison between the Jedi contingent and the Republic fleet. Looks like I'll be continuing that assignment."

Bastila folded her arms. "I'm surprised, given your low opinion of the Order."

"Did you even pay attention on the _Spire_? Considering recent history, the Fleet's no more willing to put blind faith in the Jedi than I am."

"You're a spy," Bastila said accusingly.

"Republic liaison officer...and ship's pilot. Am I thrilled? No. Am I going to carry out my orders? Yes."

"Kairi will no doubt be delighted."

He shook his head in disbelief. "She's coming? Don't...don't they have to train her?"

"If things were any less dire, she'd be spending several years training under one of the Jedi Masters, but I fear that won't be possible. The Force Bond between us will be needed to trace Revan's footsteps and find the Star Maps. I won't lie. The fact that she has received so little training could have dire consequences for her - and everyone around her. Thankfully, she's exhibited a degree of compassion and self-control up to this point."

Carth sighed, leaning back in the chair. "I worry about her as much as you do."

* * *

"Master Zhar?"

He looked up from his paperwork to see Kairi in the doorway, and he quickly gestured for her to come in. Kairi walked into the room slowly, looking around his quarters.

"It seems like so long ago that I first came in here," she said.

"And so short a time as well," he said.

"The _Hawk_ will be ready in the morning. I just came to say goodbye...and thank you. It can't have been easy to train me."

Despite it all, Zhar had to smile. "Kairi, you have taught me just as much, and no matter how far we will be apart, the Force will connect us as it connects all things. We will see each other again, it is only a matter of 'when.'"

"Just...one more thing, Master. You don't have to talk about it if it's painful, but you did mention that you trained Revan. You also said you saw something of Revan in me."

A sad smile crossed Zhar's face. "An insatiable thirst for knowledge, and the strength of a Ryloth heat storm…That was Revan. I see that strength with the Force, the hunger for knowledge." He stopped, looked her over again, and then said, "But in training you, Kairi, I see much that is not Revan."

"Such as?"

"Even as a Jedi, Revan would not have become involved with the Sandral and Matale feud unless directly ordered. You did. While Revan would have probably brought Juhani back to us, it would have been as a prisoner. Revan would not have held Juhani's hand and walked her to judgment."

"What was Revan like? Not how strong in the Force, how skilled with a lightsaber, in tactics, or training...but as a person."

Zhar paused. For a moment, he was confused, as though he didn't know how to answer. His lekku curled a little, as he pondered how best to answer.

"Revan was a Jedi, in every sense of the word. Forever seeking more to learn, forever studying the Force, embracing the detachment and rationality that the Order cultivates. There was no passion, except love of the Force and love of duty; in every way, the pinnacle of what we sought to cultivate. Yet, there was always something at work in Revan, a void that could not be filled with knowledge, skill, or noble acts."

"What kind of void?" Kairi asked.

Again, Zhar had to think. "Looking back, I'm not certain how well I knew Revan. I'm not sure anyone ever really did. Perhaps Malak, but there was distance from even him. There's so much that I would have done differently. But...I cannot change the past, only attempt to learn from it."

He got up from his chair, and took Kairi's hand in his own. Pride and regret, hope and fear, joy and worry...For a moment, the Jedi mask had fallen, and Zhar was another man. "No matter what, Padawan. I will not regret training you. May the Force be with you in your quest."


End file.
